LiBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Shelf.. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 







St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. 



CATHOLIC CEREMONIES 



Explanation of the Ecclesiastical 
Year. 

FROM THE FRENCH OF THE ABBe'dURAND. 



WITH g6 ILLUSTRATIONS OF ARTICLES USED AT CHURCH CEREMONIES 
AND THEIR PROPER NAMES. 



f$) 



,.>rn\Vo-^'^ 



NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO i l 

BENZIGER BROTHERS, 

Printers to the Holy Apostolic See. 
1896. 




Ml^il ODbstat 



Thos. L. Kinkead, 

Ce7isor Librorum. 

Jfrnprimatur. 

»J^ Michael Augustine, 

ArchbisJiop of Neio York. 
New York, July 23, 1896. 



COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY BENZIGER BROTHERS. 



PREFACE. 



This volume, it is hoped, will be the handbook of all 
those who love to inform themselves upon those cere- 
monies of which they are too often blind and unappre- 
ciative spectators. 

Mass, Yespers, and the feasts, that is to say, the ordi- 
nary offices at which the faithful assist — these are the 
compass of its pages. In order to explain them the use 
of symbolism has been chosen, which is the soul, the 
perfume, the marrow of worship, and the nourishment 
of Christian piety. 

The word symbol, in its widest acceptation, answers 
to sign, image, figure, to the representation of an idea 
or a sentiment, something not to be reached by the 
senses. ' ' From a liturgical point of view a symbol is a 
sign which, under the veil of words or things, represents 
mysteries above our nature, and which it is important 
for us to know. Among these symbols the most excel- 
lent are the sacraments of the Church, because to the 
sign they join an effect." {SpiciL de Solesmes, t. iii. 1. v.) 
To symbolize an idea is to give it a physiognomy, a body, 
in order to make it more easily apprehended by all. All 
peoples have employed the mysterious language of sym- 



4 ^ Preface. 

bols. If we see them more frequently used in divine 
worship, it is because, on the one hand, the teachings of 
religion are most difficult to understand, and, on the 
other, it is necessary to bring them within the grasp of 
all. Symbolism is thus the form of teaching which re- 
sponds most thoroughly to the needs of the people in the 
religious life. 

The great traditions of the liturgy begin to revive. 
For a long time they have been buried in the tomb of 
disdain or forgetf ulness which Protestantism, Jansenism, 
and philosophy have prepared for them ; they have 
burst their bonds, and the world salutes their glorious 
triumph with hope. May they contribute to bring back 
among us the golden age of Christian piety ! The fer- 
vent generations of past centuries loved to come often 
into the holy place ; in spite of the long hours conse- 
crated to prayer they never wearied in the house of 
God. 

To-day the sacred offices are abandoned by a great 
numfeer ; those who still frequent them find them too 
long, and, for the majority, the sanctification of Sunday 
is limited to a simple Low Mass. "Whence comes this 
difference ? The former understood the beauties of the 
worship, the mysteries of the liturgy, and the latter, like 
the idols of which the prophet speaks, *' have eyes, but 
see not, and ears, yet hear not." If he who has written 
these pages attains his end, Sion shall see her ways less 
deserted upon her solemn feasts ; the sacred offices will 
be better understood ; and then, in the holy place, each 
look shall become a prayer. 



CONTENTS, 



PART I.— THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 

PAGE 

Chapter L— The Altar. 9 

Chapter II. — Sacred Vestments 14 

1. Priestly Yestments 14 

2. Colors and Ornameuts 16 

3. Vestments of the Deacon, Subdeacon, and 

Acolytes 18 

Chapter III.— The Vessels, Linens, Bread and 

Wine of the Sacrifice 21 

1. Vessels of the Sacrifice 21 

2. Sacred Linens 22 

3. The Bread and Wine of the Sacrifice 23 

Chapter IV.— Ceremonies of the Mass 24 

First Part: 

1. The Preparation at the Foot of the Altar 26 

2. The Introit, or the Incarnation 27 

3. The Kyrie, or the Cry of Fallen Humanity. . . 29 

4. The Gloria in Excelsis, or the Cry of Beth- 

lehem 30 

5. The Dominiis Vobiscum, or the Effusion of 

the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost 32 

6. The Collect, or the Prayer of the Hidden Life. 34 

7. The Epistle, or the Mission of the Precursor. . 36 

8. The Gradual and Tract, or the Sighs of Peni- 

tence....* 37 

9. The Alleluia, or the Canticle of the Celestial 

Country 38 

5 



Contents. 

PAGE 

10. The Gospel, or the Preaching of Christ 39 

11. The Credo, or Profession of Faith in the 

Doctrine Preached by Jesus Christ 42 

Second Part : 

1. The Offertory, or Last Supper 43 

2. The Incensing, or the Perfumes of Mary Mag- 

dalen .• 45 

3. The Secret, or the Prayer in the Garden of 

Olives 46 

4. The Preface, or the Chant of Triumph 46 

5. The Canon, or the Passion 47 

6. The Imposition of Hands, or the Crucifixion . 49 

7. The Elevation, or Our Lord raised upon the 

Cross , 49 

8. The Memento for the Dead, or the Just raised 

again by Jesus Christ 51 

9. The Nobis Quoque Peccatoribus, or the Prayer 

of the Good Thief 52 

10. The Second Elevation, or the Death of Our 

Saviour 52 

Third Part : 

1. The Pater Noster, or the Prayer of Jesus 

Christ upon the Cross 58 

2. The Libera Nos, or the Mysteries of the 

Burial 54 

3. The Breaking of the Host, or the Side of Jesus 

opened by the Lance 55 

4. The Agnus Dei, or the Resurrection 56 

5. The Communion, or the Eucharistic Repasts 

of Jesus Christ arisen with His Apostles... 58 

6. The Chants of the Communion, or the Joy of 

the Apostles in the Resurrection of Jesus 
Christ *. 60 

7. The Post -Communion, or the Forty Days of 

the Glorious Life. , , . 61 



Contents, 7 

PAGE 

8. The Ite Missa Est, or the Ascension 63 

9. The Benediction, or the Descent of the H0I3* 

Ghost 64 

10. The Last Gospel, or the Preaching of the 

Apostles and their Successors. 65 

Chapter V. — Pontifical Mass 66 

1. The Bishop's Ornaments. 66 

2. Ceremonies of the Pontifical Mass. 71 

Chapter VI. — Mass for the Dead 76 

Chapter VII.— Holy Water, Blessed Bread, and 

THE Sign of the Cross 80 

1. HolyWater 80 

2. Blessed Bread 83 

3. The Sign of the Cross 86 

Chapter VIII. — Processions 89 

Chapter IX. — Churches 93 

1. The Catholic Temple a Symbol of the Church. 93 

2. The Catholic Temple a Symbol of the Cross. . 97 

3. The Bells, , 98 

PART II.— VESPERS. 

Chapter I. — The Divine Office 101 

1. Origin and Division 101 

2. Assistance at the Divine Office 102 

3. Vestments of the Celebrant of the Office 103 

4. The Chant 107 

Chapter II.— Vespers Ill 

1. Mysteries of this Office Ill 

2. Method of Assisting Piously at Vespers 112 

Chapter III.— The Psalms of Vespers 115 

1. Preliminaries of the Office 115 

2. The First Psalm. 121 

8. The Second Psalm 124 

4. The Third Psalm 128 



8 Contents. 

PAGE 

5. The Fourth Psalm 133 

6. The Fifth Psalm 137 

7. The Little Chapter •. 145 

Chapter IY. — Hymn, Magnificat, and Anthem of 

THE Blessed Virgin 146 

1. Hymn 146 

2. The Magnificat , 147 

3. The Anthem of the Blessed "Virgin 157 

Chapter V. — Compline and the Benediction of 

THE Blessed Sacrament 159 

1. Compline 159 

2. The Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. . . 163 

PART III.-THE LITURGICAL YEAR. 

Chapter L— Division of Time in the Church 168 

Chapter II. — The Time of Advent and of Christ- 
mas 178 

1. Advent Time 178 

2. Christmas Time 183 

Chapter III.— Septuagesima and Lent 196 

1. Septuagesima 196 

2. The Time of Lent 199 

Chapter IV.— Holy Week 206 

1. Palm Sunday 206 

2. Office of Ten ebrse 206 

3. Holy Thursday 207 

4. Good Friday 210 

5. Holy Saturday 214 

Chapter V.— Paschal Time and Pentecost 220 

1. Paschal Time 220 

2. Pentecost Time 227 

The Ordinary of the Mass 246 

Vespers 268 

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament c . . . 282 



CATHOLIC CEREMONIES. 



part m.—Zbc Sacrttlce ot tbe /lRa66* 
CHAPTER I.— THE ALTAR. 

i^orm of the Altar. — The Catholic altar has always 
been a table or a tomb. This double form has perpetu- 
ated through the ages the remembrance of the institu- 
tion of the Eucharist and of the burial of Our Lord. 
The cloth that covered the table at the last supper, the 
winding-sheet of the Saviour's embalming, are recalled 
to our love by the while linens spread upon it. The 
altar, the eucharistic table, the mystical tomb, is, above 
all, the holy mountain where Jesus Christ transfigures 
and immolates Himself at the same time ; raised as it is 
above the ground, it appears to us always as a Thabor 
and a Calvary. Happier we than the apostle, for we 
can make for ourselves there a perpetual dwelling-place, 
even in the heart of the divine Saviour. 

The Sacred Stone. — During the Mass the priest often 
kisses the middle of the altar. • In this spot is a stone 
become, by the consecration of the bishop, a figure of 

9 



1-0 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

Jesus Christ. Like the Word of God, it has received the 
sacred unction; like Him, it bears the mark of five 
wounds, and, these are also made by the hammer and 
iron; like the Lamb of God, of Whom " not one of the 
bones was broken " (Exod. xii. 46), the sacred stone is 
entire, cut from a single piece. He who loves Our Lord 
will understand these kisses so often repeated ; the 
Church wishes to make reparation during the holy sac- 
rifice for all the outrages of the passion — the derisive 
genuflections of the Jews replaced by the genuflections 
of the priest ; the perfidious kiss of treason by the re- 
spectful kiss of love. In the sacred stone is enclosed a 
little tomb, sealed by the arms of the bishop ; with the 
relics of the saints is laid herein three grains of incense. 
Here again is a reminder of the burial, and the different 
perfumes which Jesus Christ then received from the 
piety of His disciples — the aromatic herbs of Joseph of 
Arimathea, of Magdalen, and the holy women. 

Relics in the Altar. — In his marvellous vision St. 
John saw "under the altar the souls of them that were 
slain for the Word of God." (Apoc. vi. 9.) The Church 
militant, heir of their holy relics, and following the 
steps of her sister in heaven, has placed them under the 
altar of sacrifice. This custom, observed from the 
earliest days of Christianity, teaches us how we should 
receive Jesus Christ in holy communion. 

Our heart becomes an altar where Our Lord consum- 
mates His sacrifice, and upon this living altar He wishes 
to see the blessed wounds of a martyr. The saints have 
tasted in communion ineffable sweetness ; recompense, 
we may be sure, of the immolation which they made of 
themselves each day. It is easy for us to experience 



The Altar. 11 

this ; let us prepare ourselves for such a solemn act 
by the sacrifice of our tastes, of our passions, as 
the Hebrews ate the paschal lamb with bitter herbs. 
The Eucharist will then bear in us the most abundant 
fruit ; it will be the grain of wheat sown in our hearts, 
to grow there till the resurrection, the day of blossoming 
and of harvest ; the heavenly wine, which maketh virgin 
those hearts inclined to evil ; the divine fire, which will 
give to the weak the courage of the lion. 

The Tabernacle, — The rich materials which cover the 
place where the Blessed Sacrament rests, even the name 
given it, recall the tabernacle of the Old Law, in which 
the ark of the covenant was kept, one of the prophetic 
figures of the sacrament of our altars. Its most ordi- 
nary form is that of a tower ; this symbol of strength 
could not be more suitably employed than in sheltering 
Him Whom St. Augustine so well calls "the bread of 
the strong." 

Tlie Cross. — Above the tabernacle is the cross. Its 
presence alone in this place speaks simply and elo- 
quently : " It is here that Jesus Christ renews the sacri- 
fice of Calvary. The cross raised by deicidal hands 
remains always laden ; love forever fastens to it the 
divine victim. His arms extended call the sinner to 
return and to pardon ; His lips never cease to utter the 
great prayer of mercy: * Father, forgive them ;' grace 
flows from His heart in torrents." Christian souls, all 
these things the crucifix, by its wounds, says to you each 
day. 

Candles, — Doubtless they recall to us that the cata- 
combs were the cradle of the Church and her first tem- 
ple ; that the divine mysteries were there celebrated by 



12 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

the light of torches. This touching reminder of the per- 
secuted Church should not be lost sight of. 

But if it were merely as a reminder of the bloody 
period of the Church's martyrdom that candles were 
used, why demand wax for the altar-lights ? The 
anxiety of the Church on this point shows us that there 
is here some mystery. " Wax," says Mgr. de Cony, 
summing up the teaching of all the liturgists, '' is one 
of the most expressive symbols furnished the Church 
by nature to express allegorically the holy humanity of 
Jesus Christ. The earliest doctors dwell on the virgin- 
ity of the hees^ and the purity of that substance drawn 
from the nectar of the most exquisite flowers, and com- 
pare these things to the conception of the Saviour i-n 
the pure womb of Mary. The whiteness of the wax, 
laboriously obtained, signifies again the glory of Jesus 
Christ, the result of His sufferings ; then the flame, 
mounting from that column of wax which it consumes, 
is the divinity of Jesus Christ, manifesting itself by the 
sacrifice of His humanity, and illuminating the world." 
{Cerem. Rom.^ 1. i. c. 6.) '^ It is not, then, to lighten the 
darkness of the sanctuary, let us say with St. Isidore, 
that the altar-candles are lighted, because the sun is 
shining, but this light is a sign of joy, and it represents 
Him of Whom the Gospel says : *' He is the true light." 
{Orig., 1. i. c. 12.) 

During the holy mysteries, when thick darkness clouds 
our soul, let us beg God, the eternal light, to scatter 
this gloomy night. If at the foot of this new Calvary 
our heart is indifferent and frozen, let us pray God, 
infinite love, to melt it in His fires. There will come a 
day when this blessed light will be, for those who have 



The Altar, 13 

despised it, the fire of justice ; Lord, inspire my heart 
with such a profound horror of sin that I may escape 
the flames of Thy vengeance. 

The Sanctuary -lamp, — In honor of Jesus Christ a 
lamp burns perpetually before the altar. The Christian 
soul longs to remain in constant adoration at the feet 
of Our Lord, there to be consumed by gratitude and 
love. In heayen alone will this happiness be given to 
us, but here below, as an expression of our devout de- 
sires, we place a lamp in the sanctuary to take our 
place. In this little light St. Augustine shows us an 
image of the three Christian virtues. Its clearness is 
faith, which enlightens our mind ; its warmth is love, 
which fills our heart ; its flame ^ which, trembling and 
agitated, mounts upward till it finds rest in its centre, is 
hope, with its aspirations toward heaven, and its troubles 
outside of God. (Serm. IxviL, de Script.) 

May our heart watch in the sanctuary under the eye 
of God ! During the labors of the day nothing is easier 
than to fly there in thought, to offer to Jesus Christ our 
pain, our weariness, our actions. 

At night let us place ourselves at the feet of Jesus, 
and say : While I sleep I wish to love Thee and bless 
Thee always ; here would I take my rest. If many 
Christians were faithful to this pious practice, it would 
not be merely a faint and solitary lamp which would 
illumine the holy place, but thousands of hearts would 
shed there their sparkling rays of light. 

Altar-candlesticlis, — The heavenly Jerusalem has her 
sacrifice, and also her altar. St. John thus describes it : 
" The altar of gold had seven golden candlesticks, and 
in the midst was the Son of man, shining like the snow 



14 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

by the whiteness of His garments, and more brilliant 
than the sun by reason of the splendor of His face. " 
(Apoc. i.) 

It is, then, reminders of heaven which the Church con- 
stantly places before the eyes of her children ; how can 
we help thinking of it when all around us speaks of it: 
the altar, the candlesticks, the Eucharist ? 

The Missal. — Upon the altar in heaven was also a 
mysterious book, sealed with seven seals, and which no 
man could open. The lion of the tribe of Juda, Jesus 
Christ, came, and His triumphant hand broke the seals. 
The resemblance here is easily traced. The book which 
contains the prayers of the liturgy is placed upon the 
altar before the sacrifices, but it remains closed; only 
the priest, representing Jesus Christ, has the right to 
open it. 

In the West Latin is the language of the liturgy of 
the Church. However, certain Greek words, such as 
Kyrie eleison^ and some Hebrew expressions, like al- 
leluia^ amen, sabaoth, have been enshrined in this rich 
casket, that the language of the Christian sacrifice may 
recall the inscription placed above the Saviour's cross, 
which was written, says the evangelist, in Hebrew^ in 
Greek, and in Latin. 

CHAPTER IL— SACRED VESTMENTS. 

1. PRIESTLY VESTMENTS. 

The Amice. — This is a white linen cloth with which 

■ the priest covers his head, and then allows to fall upon 

his shoulders. Ancient customs teach us that the head 

of the criminal sentenced to death was enveloped io 



Sacred Vestments. 15 

linen. The sentence was thus framed : '' Go, lictor^ 
bind his hands; cover his head; scourge him, and fasten 
him upon the cross." The amice reminds us that a 
shameless servant in the house of Herod filled this 
office to Jesus even before His condemnation. 

The Alb. — At the sight of the white linen robe which 
covers the entire body of the priest, recollections of 
Thabor, of heaven, and of the passion should be presented 
to our mind. On the mount of the transfiguration, and 
in the vision of St. John, Our Lord showed Himself in 
garments white as the snow and shining like the sun ; 
in the court of Herod, abused by madmen, He was 
clothed with the white robe of innocence. 

The Oirdle, — Here is again a memorial at once of 
glory and of humiliation. The shining robe of Our 
Lord in the vision of St. John was bound by a girdle 
of gold, emblem of virginity ; in the scourging we see 
the divine body of Jesus lashed to the column by cords. 

The Maniple. — The maniple, worn on the left arm of 
the priest, is an eloquent preacher, teaching him what 
he should expect from man. The servant is not greater 
than his master ; now what was the recompense of 
Jesus Christ ? Because He had dried tears, fed the 
poor, cured the blind and the dumb, caressed the chil- 
dren, raised the dead. His divine hands were covered 
with chains during the passion. They are bound by 
love when He could chastise. The priest also, who wears 
each day this maniple, should have his hands always 
open for kindness, but closed to vengeance ; tied when 
he could punish, but open to absolve. 

The Stole. — The stole worn around the neek of the 
priest, and falling before him, takes the place of the 



16 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

rope which was used to lead the divine victim through 
the streets of Jerusalem to Calvary. 

The Chasuble, — This vestment, worn over all the 
others, has a meaning not less touching. The soldiery, in 
Pilate's house, wished to mock Jesus with a caricature 
of a royal coronation. A scarlet cloak for p Tiantle, 
a reed for a sceptre, a crown of thorns for a . em — 
these were the insignia of that derided majesty. Those 
murderers, tired at last of striking and torturing Him, 
threw a cross upon the torn shoulders of the Saviour, 
and led Him forth to Calvary. 

See the priest at the altar : the chasuble recalls the 
mantle at the prset^rium ; the tonsure, the crown of 
thorns. Nothing is wanting, not even the cross ; see it, 
drawn large upon the chasuble ; the celebrant, like his 
Master, carries it upon his shoulders. 

This cross is formed of our iniquities. Let uc, not for- 
get it when the priest comes forth to offer the sacrifice ; 
let us say to "him who stands in the place of Jesus Christ : 
^' It belongs to me to carry that cross, which love has 
made you bear in my stead. I know that my weakness 
is too great for such a burden. But at least I will fill 
the place of Simon the Cyrenean, and will help you with 
the feeble aid of my prayers. " How few Christians pray 
for the priest as he goes to the altar, yet not only charity 
but justice renders this a duty. 

2. COLORS AND ORNAMENTS. 

The colors are : White, red, green, purple, and black. 

White ^ emblem of purity, is consecrated to the feasts 
of Our Lord, except those which commemorate His suf- 
ferings. What color could be more suitable to Him Who 



Sacred Vestments, 17' 

is infinite sanctity, and Who showed Himself to His 
apostles on Thabor, and to St. John in heaven, "' clothed 
in a robe whiter than the snow " ? 

This color is also that of the feasts of Mary. After 
God there is nothing purer than the Blessed Virgin. 
The Holy Spirit compares her to a lily shining in w^hite- 
ness, to a spotless dove, to a tower of ivory, and to a 
limpid fountain. 

White is worn on the solemnities of the angels because 
of their purity, and on the feasts of virgins, '' sisters of 
angels in their innocence," says Peter de Blois. 

Red is the figure of blood and of fire. The Church 
clothes herself in it for those feasts which have connec- 
tion with the passion of Our Lord, and on those days 
recalls to us that Jesus Christ has not feared for love of 
us to be reddened in His own blood, shed in torrents 
on the pavement of the prsetorium, on the road to Cal- 
vary, and on the wood of the cross. At Pentecost the 
Church wears red to figure forth the mystery of the 
tongues of fire on the heads of the apostles, and the 
effusion of that other interior fire with which the hearts 
of those generous messengers of good tidings were filled. 
Red, the color of blood, is also used on the feasts of 
martyrs. 

Green^ in the liturgy as in nature, is a symbol of hope ; 
it is the emblem of good things to come. The Church 
uses it on the simple Sundays during the time called 
*'of pilgrimage," because it recalls the militant life of 
the Church, from the descent of the Holy Ghost to the 
e.nd of the world. 

This time comprehends the Sundays and weeks from 
Pentecost to Advent. From the octave of the Epiphany 



' 18 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

to SeptuagesimaVe find green in use among the altar- 
ornaments. Says Dom Gueranger : ' * This choice shows 
that in the birth of Our Lord, Who is the flo\Yer of the 
fields, is born also the hope of our salvation, and that 
after the winter of paganism and Judaism the green 
springtime of grace has begun in our hearts." {The 
Liturgical Year, vol. ii., "Christmas.") 

Purple, the color of the mortification of the flesh by 
penitence, is reserved to the following periods : Advent, 
Lent, ember-days, vigils and rogations, and the pro- 
cession of St. Mark, to teach us that we should then 
expiate our sensual lives by fasting and mortification. 

Black. — It is hardly necessary to explain the significa- 
tion of this color of death ; even without speaking, the 
priest who mounts to the altar clad in these sad vest- 
ments is a preacher sufiiciently eloquent.^ Let us listen 
to the voice of grace which cries: "Remember, man, 
that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." 

3. VESTMENTS OF THE DEACON, SUBDEACON, AND 
ACOLYTES. 

The Beacon. — This word means servitor. One of the 
principal duties of this sacred minister is to assist the 
priest during the holy mysteries. He is always at his 
side, and, by the place of honor which he occupies, he 
reminds us of the beloved disciple leaning on the heart 
of Jesus during the last supper, and standing under the 
cross on Calvary. 

The deacon chants the gospel, and dismisses the people 
at the end of Mass by intoning : '' Ite, Missa est.^'' 

His vestments are the amice, alb, girdle, stole, and 
dalmatic ; except the latter all are already understood. 



Sacred Vestments. 19 

Tlie dalmatic was originally worn in Dalmatia, whence 
it was brought to Kome. It is a long and ample gar- 
ment, with very large sleeves, but short, descending 
only to the elbow. From the second century among 
the Romans it was the vestment of the emperors ; the 
Church adopted it for the Sovereign Pontiff and the 
bishops. The deacons received it from Pope Sylvester, 
but the privilege of wearing it was confined to the dea- 
cons of the church at Rome, and for them only granted 
on festival-days as a sign of joy; consequently it was 
laid aside during Advent, Lent, and fast-days, periods 
of sadness and mourning in the Church. 

The dalmatic is of the same color as the chasuble of 
the priest. 

The bands of rich stuff, or even of gold or silver, 
which are laid perpendicularly on each side, w^ere, in 
ancient times, reserved to persons of distinction. We 
find them again upon the chasuble of the priest, the 
dalmatic of the deacon, and the tunic of the subdeacon 
because of the elevated rank which these sacred ministers 
hold in the hierarchy ; their duties bring them near to 
Our Lord in the Eucharist, and by the chastity which 
they have irrevocably sworn they are become like 
heavenly spirits. The short sleeves of the dalmatic, 
allowing the deacons to move more easily, remind us 
that, according to the etymology of their name of ser- 
vitor, they assist, not only the priest at the altar, but the 
poor, the widows, and orphans. They find also in the 
large sleeves of their vestment a lesson of liberality to- 
ward the poor. The deacon does not wear the stole in 
the same manner as the priest ; he places it on. the left 
shoulder, and brings the extremities under the right 



20 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

arm. The stole being formerly a robe, the deacon 
necessarily had to roll it up under the right arm in 
order more easily to serve the priest at the altar. 

The Subdeacon. — This minister is charged with the 
preparation of the sacred vessels, the bread and wine of 
the sacrifice, giving the water to the celebrant when he 
washes his hands, and reading the epistle. His vest- 
ments are the amice, alb, girdle, maniple, and tunic. 
The tunic was formerly distinguished from the dalmatic 
by its form and material; now it is in all respects like 
it, hence it is unnecessary to speak of it. 

The Acolytes. — The ministers who carry the candles, 
prepare the incense, and serve the subdeacon and dea- 
con at the altar are called acolytes. Samuels of the 
new law, they always wear in their- functions a linen 
robe. Are they not also angels upon the earth ? Their 
white vestments; the flowing sleeves with which they are 
adorned, like two wings ; the censer swinging in their 
hands ; their comings and ggings in the sanctuary — do 
they not recall the celestial spirits around the throne of 
the Lamb ? The white vestment of the acolyte is called 
a surplice, and covers a cassock generally black. 

This striking contrast has not escaped the interpreters 
of our ceremonies, who have given us its meaning. 
ISTearly all the religious Orders have adopted for their 
habit black or white, in remembrance of the glorious or 
sorrowful mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ. These 
two colors, united in the costume of the young levite, 
illustrate the great motto of Christianity : To die to one's 
self, and live again in Jesus Christ. 



The Vessels, Linens, and Bread and Wine, 21 



CHAPTEE III.— THE VESSELS, LINENS, BREAD 
AND WINE OF THE SACRIFICE. 

1. VESSELS OF THE SACKIFICE. 

The Chalice and the Paten. — To seal an alliance the an- 
cients at the end of the banquet caused to be passed from 
one to another of the guests a cup to which each touched 
his lips. Our Lord followed this custom at the last sup- 
per. The chalice used at the altar is made upon the 
model of the one from which Jesus Christ drank on the 
eve of His death. While the chalice receives the blood 
of Jesus Christ, the paten is reserved for His divine body. 
It is a large plate, of gold or silver like the chalice, but 
always golden in that portion which comes in contact 
with the holy species. Like the chalice, before it is used 
in the sacred mysteries it is consecrated by chrism, and 
special prayers said by the bishop. Let us receive from 
the gold, the holy chrism, and the particular benediction 
of the prelate given to those vessels upon which the Holy 
of holies rests but an instant the lesson which the 
Church teaches us. In communion our hearts become 
living chalices ; our tongue is another paten upon which 
the priest lays Jesus Christ. May Our Lord always find 
our tongue and heart bright with the gold of charity ; 
let us consecrate this mystical chalice and paten with 
the unction of Christian sweetness and the perfume of 
prayer. 

The Cihorium. — Above the primitive altars was raised 
a canopy held up by columns, the base resting on the 
pavement of the sanctuary. Silken curtains adorned 



22 Tlie Sacrifice of the Mass. 

the space between these columns, which were drawn dur- 
ing a part of the holy mysteries, the priest finding him- 
self then completely concealed from the gaze of the 
people, as if in a mysterious cloud. This top of the altar 
received, because of its shape, the name of ciborium^ a 
kind of cup in use among the Egyptians ; the upper part 
in fact resembled a reversed cup ; the whole was sur- 
mounted by a cross. In the middle of these ciboriums 
were hung doves of gold or silver, upon which the host 
was laid. Toward the twelfth century the ciboriums 
were done away with ; they were replaced by little 
domes built in the middle of the altar, held up by four 
columns ; they received the vessels containing the con- 
secrated species, which ceased to be suspended, as they 
had been formerly. The name of ciborium passed then 
to the vessel itself ; the upper part, half spherical and 
surmounted by a cross, and also the curtains of velvet 
or silk hung around it, recalls the ancient ciborium. 

2. SACRED LINENS. 

The corporal is the linen upon which the priest 
places the chalice and the host during the Mass. The 
name shroud^ which It formerly bore, and the white 
linen of which it is made, remind us of the winding-sheet 
used at the burial of Our Saviour. The learned author 
of the Rational says that the reason it is spread out upon 
the altar is because the winding-sheet of Our Lord was 
found unrolled in the tomb. 

The burse, in which the corporal is enclosed after 
the Mass, was not known to the early Church. 

The puriflcator is the linen which the priest uses to 
dry his fingers and lips, as wejl as the chalice, after the 



TJie Vessels, Linens, and Bread and Tiine. 23 

communion. The Greeks use a sponge, in memory of the 
one filled with gall which the soldier presented to Our 
Saviour. 

The pall is the white linen, most frequently cover- 
ing a card, which the priest lays over the chalice during 
Mass to preserve the precious blood which it contains 
from all accident. 

The veil is not classed among the sacred linens. We 
will speak of it here because the matters of which we 
treat lead us to do so. Up to the time of the offertory 
it covers the chalice, the paten, and the pall ; then it is 
raised, to recall to us the stupidity and ignorance veiling 
the great mystery of the Eucharist from the eyes of 
the apostles. Our Lord announced it to them often, but 
their faith remained wavering and blind ; only at the 
last supper was this darkness completely dispelled. 

Tl\e finger-towel is the linen with which the priest 
dries his fingers at the lavabo. It represents that other 
white linen mentioned in the Gospel used at the washing 
of feet before the last supper. 

3. THE BREAD AND WINE OF THE SACRIFICE. 

Bread. — The circular form was very early adopted for 
the eucharistic bread ; the circle being the emblem of 
infinity, this form was peculiarly suitable to Him Who 
has no beginning and no end. 

The whiteness of the sacramental bread should be to 
us an image of the sanctity of the Saviour, and a reflec- 
tion of His glory. 

The Latin Church uses the bread of the azyme, or un- 
leavened bread, and this for two reasons. In the first 
place, she wishes to imitate Our Lord^ Who used this kind 



24 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

of bread in instituting the new Pasch ; the Jewish law 
forbidding, under pain of death, to have leavened bread 
in the house during the paschal time. (Exod. xii. 15.) 
In the second place leaven was considered a sign of cor- 
ruption, as St. Paul distinctly states (i. Cor. v. 6), and 
so leavened bread would not be suitable for consecra- 
tion of the virginal body of Jesus Christ. What care 
on the part of the Church to withdraw from the Holy of 
holies, in the sacrament of His love, even the shadow 
of that which could recall sin ! May we all learn in this 
elevated school the respect due to Jesus Christ. 

Wine. — Ecclesiastical history teaches us that the fruit 
of certain renowned vineyards was reserved for the ser- 
vice of the altar. For making the sacrificial wine the 
Greeks chose the fairest and purest of the grapes ; they 
were not trodden by the feet, but the hands were used 
to express the juice. 

Ked wine has always been preferred by the Church; 
its color represents better the mystery wrought by the 
words of consecration. Besides which it cannot be mis- 
taken for water, and so by its use many mistakes are 
avoided. It was principally this reason which called 
forth in several councils the prohibition of white wine 
for the Mass. Now it is permitted to use either. 



CHAPTER IV.— CEREMONIES OF THE 
MASS. 

The venerable Cure d'Ars loved to repeat that if one 
knew what the Mass was he would die. Yes, we should 
die of love and gratitude. That which was the desire of 



Ceremonies of the Mass. 25 

the patriarchs, and was foreseen by the prophets ; that 
of which the sliepherds at Bethlehem, the apostles at 
the last supper, Mary and the holy women on Calvary 
and at the holy sepulchre, the disciples after the resur- 
rection, W'Cre witnesses, we see ourselves every day. In 
the person of the priest, and under the eucharistic veils, 
Our Lord renews on the altar all the mysteries of His life. 
*' The order of the Mass," says Pope Innocent III., in his 
admirable treatise on the sacrifice, '' is arranged upon a 
plan so w^ell conceived that everything done by Jesus 
Christ, or concerning Him, from His incarnation to His 
ascension, is there largely contained, either in words 
or in actions, w^onderfuUy presented." 

We have divided the Mass into three parts, corre- 
sponding to the three epochs in the life of Our Saviour. 
The first, from the Introit to the Credo, comprises the 
thirty- three years of the life of Our Lord up to the in- 
stitution of the Eucharist. The second, from the Credo 
to the Pater ^ retraces the different scenes of His suffer- 
ings. The third, from the Pater to the end of the last 
gospel, embraces all His glorious life. 

It is from this magnificent point of view that the 
greatest doctors of the Church have seen the august 
sacrifice. Thus considered, the holy mysteries cannot 
fail to inspire the Christian soul with respect and love. 
As we leave our houses to go to the church let us con- 
sider the pious haste of the shepherds and the Magi 
going to adore the Saviour in the stable ; the sorrow 
which filled the holy women ascending Calvary, their 
loving ardor in going to the sepulchre. Their happiness 
is to be ours ; let us have in our hearts something of 
their faith and of their piety.. 



26 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

First Part. 
' 1. the preparation at the foot of the altar. 

In the earthly paradise the first man enjoyed familiar 
conversations with God. He fell, and was driven far 
from the face of the Lord, and sentenced to live in a 
vale of tears. He was not, however, left without hope ; 
a redeemer- was promised to him and to his children. 
And for four thousand years all jfche echoes of this poor^ 
earth carried up to heaven cries of anguish and of con- 
fidence, claiming the fulfilment of the divine promise. 
The Church places before our eyes at the beginning of 
the sacrifice the reminder of this fall. Between Eden 
and Calvary there are many connections ; is not one the 
explanation of the other? The priest, as he descends 
the steps of the altar, represents man fallen, and driven 
from paradise. The preparatory prayers which he then 
recites recall those of the world of antiquity. Is there 
not in these prayers, as in those of the patriarchs and 
prophets, confidence and sorrow, joy and tears by 
turns ? 

*'I will go unto the altar of God, to God Who re- 
joice th my youth. 

"Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from 
the nation that is not holy. 

"To Thee, O God, my God, I will give praise upon 
the harp : why art thou sad, O my soul ; and why dost 
thou disquiet me ? " 

These are surely the utterances of sinful man ; fear 
and hope are always side by side ; the heaven in his heart 
is never without a cloud. A redeemer has been prom- 
ised to the guilty world ; toward this divine victim all 



Ceremonies of the Mass. 37 

eyes are turned. The cross, foreseen b}^ the prophets, 
will be the hope, at the same time that it is the support 
and consolation, of humanity. The priest indicates this 
thought to us as he traces the sacred sign several times 
upon his brow during the preparatory prayers. 

2. THE INTROIT, OR THE INCARNATION. 

The Kiss on the Altar.— ThQ prayers ended, the priest 
ascends the steps of the altar, and, resting his hands 
upon the sacred table, kisses it respectfully. This cere- 
mony, so simple in appearance, is filled with mystery ; 
it represents the infinite love of the Son of God in His 
incarnation. (St. Bernard and St. Melito, JSpicil. de 
Solesmes, t. iii. p. 29.) God pursued humanity, which, 
since the time of Adam, had tried to escape from the 
yoke of obedience and love. But there was a day, a day 
fixed from all eternity in the decrees of God, for which 
He waited : apprehendit, thus St. Paul expresses it. 
What would He do to this guilty, fleeing humanity? 
He embraced it in the clasp of an infinite charity ; He 
clothed Himself with the mantle of its miseries : the 
Word was made flesh. 

The anthem at -the Introit, by the chant, and not by 
the meaning of its words, is the expression of the ardent 
longing which made " the clouds rain the just " (Is. xlv. 
8) ; so says Innocent III. '*It is repeated to show the 
ardor of these sighs" {De Sacro Alt, Myst.^ 1. ii. c. 28); 
and in solemn Masses its chant, grave and slow, re- 
minds us how long it was before heaven granted the 
Messias, only after forty centuries of tears and waiting. 
Why is it that this anthem is preceded by the sign of 
the cross ? The deicidal cries have not yet been uttered ; 



28 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

why show already the sign of the humiliations and 
agony of Calvary ? 

Theology answers us. From the first instant of His 
incarnation Jesus Christ saw the rods, the thorns, the 
blows, the nails, the lance, the cross, and He suffered 
in His heart all the torments of His sorrowful passion. 
^'Even in sleeping," says Bellarmin, "the heart of 
Jesus saw the coming cross." Christian art has trans- 
formed this teaching into an allegory as beautiful as it 
is touching. The child Jesus sleeps upon a cross, and 
His little bands press to His heart a crown of thorns. 

From whom has the mystery of the AYord made flesh 
received its first adoration ? When God revealed it to the 
heavenly spirits, they chanted its praise before the throne 
of the Eternal ; then one of their princes, the archangel 
Gabriel, in the humble house of ISTazareth, had first the 
privilege of adoring with Mary the Word Incarnate. 
For this reason the Gloria Patri^ the chant of the an- 
. gels, divides the Introit, 

The Incensing of the ^Zi^ar.— Before the Introit in 
solemn Masses the altar is incensed. Ecclesiastical tra- 
dition has seen in incense the symbol of the sweet odor 
of Jesus Christ. To the name of Jesus has been added 
another, that of Christ, meaning anointed or sacred^ 
for He has received from His Father a mysterious unc- 
tion, of which the world has caught the blessed perfume. 
And, even in our day, in the atmosphere of corruption 
and error in which we live, what is the secret charm 
that draws souls to God ? The^odor Df Thy sweetness, 
O Jesus, Thy miracles, Thy doctrine, and Thy goodness. 

It is the nature of our heart to render honor to all 
which recalls a beloved person. Jesus Christ is all in 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 29 

all to His Church ; thus we see the spouse of Christ 
pouring out incense, the expression of her respect and 
love, upon all the objects which speak to her of her 
divine spouse— upon the altar, the symbolical figure of 
the cross. His glorious standard ; upon the holy relics 
of the saints, His living temples ; upon the priest, His 
visible representative ; upon the faithful, the members 
of His mystical body. In union with the Church let 
us love to honor Jesus Christ wherever faith shows us 
traces of His presence ; certainly in the Eucharist, but 
also in the priest, the poor, in little children, the sick, 
in those whom we employ. 

3. THE KYRIE, OR THE CRY OF FALLEN HUMANITY. 

"Why is it said before the Gloria ? The prayer of 
mankind since its fall has become a profound sigh ; in- 
deed, in Latin both sorrow and prayer are expressed 
by the same word. The oldest and the widest-spread 
prayer — the prayer of the adult as of the child, of the 
sick, the poor, and the despairing — is short as a sigh : 
*'Have pity on me." 

Nature herself sympathizes with the misfortune of 
her fallen king. Everywhere arise voices which join 
with that of man in the note of melancholy and of pain, 
thus forming a universal harmony, of which St. Paul 
said : " For we know that every creature groaneth, and 
travaileth in pain even till now." (Rom. viii. 22.) 

The Kyrie is, then, the cry of humanity at all the 
periods of its history, but above all at the coming of the 
Messias. Said before the Gloria, it expresses the pro- 
found misery of the old world, and the immense need 
that it had of redemption. In this place, too, the Kyrie ' 



30 The Sacrifice of tlie Mass. 

has another signification : *' The seventy weeks are short- 
ened," said the angel to Daniel (Dan. ix. 24), and the 
doctors believe that the time of the incarnation was 
hastened in the designs of God as a recompense to the 
prayer of the patriarchs, the prophets, and of Mary 
above all. During this chant let us not forget the power 
of prayer ; it will abridge for us the bitter days of trial 
and God's abandonment ; for the Church the time of 
persecution and tears. 

The Kyrie is Repeated Nine Times. — Nine times the 
Church repeats this cry, in memory of the nine heavenly 
choirs. While the rebel angels tried to prevent the ac- 
complishment of the divine plan, the good angels im- 
plored God for the incarnation with all their strength. 
They united their prayers to those of earth. God had 
chosen human nature, but this consideration of a mean 
jealousy could not affect them. They saw but one thing : 
the glory of God. God must be glorified ; by whom, 
where, or how ? What did it matter to true love i 
What a lesson and what memories for us in this nine- 
fold repetition of the Kyrie ! 

4. THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS, OR THE CHANT OF 
BETHLEHEM. 

Intonation of the Gloria. — To represent the journey 
from Nazareth to Bethlehem the priest returns to the 
middle of the altar, while the last Kyrie carries to God 
the supplications of earth. 

Borrowing from the angels the words sung beside tlie 
cradle of the infant God, he announces to the world the 
supreme joy : " Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax 
hominihus bonce voluntatis.'''' 



Ceremonies of the Mass. 31 

In solemn Masses the choir continues the celestial 
chant, for the Gospel says that an angel proclaimed the 
good news to the shepherds : " And suddenly there was 
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, prais- 
ing God/' (Luke ii. 13.) The hands of the priest raised 
toward heaven at the word gloria seem to try to return 
to God all the glory. "Not to us, Lord, but to Thy 
name be the glory," sings the psalmist, (Ps. cxiii. 9.) 
To God be the glory of all our works ; to us the humility, 
but also the peace which is their assured fruit. It is in 
order to receive this divine peace that the priest again 
joins his hands at the words : Pax in terra. 

During this chant let us represent vividly to our faith 
Jesus Christ present in the tabernacle, the new stable of 
His eucharistic life. 

The ciborium is His manger ; the species of bread 
and wine His swaddling-bands. He is cold, for it is 
winter about Him, the winter of forget fulness and in- 
difference. Let us fall at His feet, with the angels, to 
praise Him, with the shepherds to glorify Him, with the 
Magi to adore Him. Let us also offer Him gifts — the 
gold of a heart that loves Him, the incense of a heart 
that prays, the myrrh of a heart that is resigned. 

The Sign of the Cross. — Persecution quickly attacked 
the child in the crib, but He escaped the fury of Herod 
by flight. The sign of the cross at the end of the joyous 
canticle of Bethlehem should recall to us the massacre 
of the innocents, the flight into Egypt, the anxieties of 
exile, and also the blood shed under the knife of the 
circumcision. 



32 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

5. THE DOMINUS VOBISCUM, OR THE EFFUSION OF THE 
SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 

The Kiss on the Altar. — The venerable Olier has so 
well explained this ceremony that we cannot resist the 
pleasure of quoting him. ''It is necessary to remark," 
he says, " that the priest does not say, ' Dominus vobis- 
curn,^ or, ^Oremus^^ without first kissing the altar, and 
even before the Orate fratres he kisses it again, to show 
that it is from the bosom of God that he draws the spirit 
of prayer which he wishes to give to the people. It is the 
same case in the benedictions which he gives the people, 
or to the host, or to himself ; they are often preceded by 
a kiss upon the altar, to show that he gets from God the 
blessings for the people and himself, having of himself 
neither graces nor blessings, except in God, Who has, 
as St. Paul says, 'blessed us with all benediction in His 
Son.' " 

Meaning of the Bominus Fo6z5ct^??i.— What touching 
reminders are in this salutation : The Lord be with you! 

One of the greatest joys of Christianity, the greatest 
surely, is to know that since His birth God has made 
Himself our Emmanuel, and remains always among us. 
When He died. He did not leave us ; He stayed with His 
children in the sacrament of His love. The Lord be 
with you, says the priest before the prayer ; let us not 
fear ; let us pray with confidence ; He has drawn near 
us to hear our prayers. 

He is with us ; may He be also in us, in our hearts. 
May He unite us all in a common bond of charity. The 
open and wide-spread arms of the priest give Him to us 
all ; his arms closed tell us why He gives Himself : " that 




'JnI 



^^-I^Cfl'^ 







Altar. 




Portable Altar. 



Contains vestment, corporal for chalice, altar-cloth, alb, 
cincture, and all the necessary linens, chalice, oilstock, 
pyx, altar bell, cruets, bread box, wine flask, candlesticks, 
crucifix, altar cards, and missal. It is used by priests on 
the mission. 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 33 

we may be made perfect in one." (St. John xvii. 23.) 
The goodness of God inspires Christians with a loving 
boldness. Lord, Thou art with us to listen to our 
prayers, but " we know not what we should pray for as 
we ought." {Rom. viii. 26.) Give us, then, Thy spirit, 
*'the spirit of prayer, which shall help our weakness, 
and make supplication for us with unutterable groaning." 

^' And with Thy Spir it. ^^— This is the meaning of the 
response of the faithful. (Isidore Pelus., 1. i. epist. 122.) 

The Seven Repetitions of Dominus Vohiscuni. — Seven 
times the priest salutes the faithful by the Dominus vo- 
hiscum; seven times is the same response heard : ^' M 
cum spiritu ^t^o"— atthe Collect, the Gospel, the Offer- 
tory, the Preface, the Agnus Dei, the Post- communion, 
and the Ite, Missa est. Seven is the number of the 
Holy Spirit, called septiform in the chants of the 
Church ; the faithful beg for His seven divine gifts at 
each salutation of the priest : 1st, after the Gloria^ for 
the gift of wisdom, which the incarnate Wisdom has 
merited for us, triumphing over pride in the humilia- 
tions of the stable. 2d, before the Gospel^ for the gift 
of understanding, to comprehend the word of God. 8d, 
at the Offertory^ for the gift of counsel, which makes 
us prefer the joys of sacrifice to the pleasures of the. 
world, after the example of the Saviour, immolating 
Himself for us at the last supper. 4th, at the Preface^ 
for the gift of fortitude, which sustained Our Lord in 
the anguish of His agony in the Garden of Olives. 5th, 
at the Ag72us Bei^ for the gift of knowledge, the divine 
light which enlighteneth each soul admitted to the ban- 
quet of angels. 6th, at the Post-communion^ for the 
gift of piety, so necessary for him who has become the 



34 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

living tabernacle of Jesus Christ. 7th, at the Ite^ Missa 
est^ for the gift of the fear of the Lord, which should 
inspire us with a holy terror at the thought of the Last 
Judgment. Five times only does the priest turn toward 
the people in addressing them with the salutation of 
peace. The Church has so arranged it to figure in this 
sacrifice commemorative of the death, resurrection, and 
ascension of Jesus Christ, the five apparitions of Our 
Saviour on Easter Day. The Gospel mentions Magdalen, 
the holy women, St. Peter, the disciples atEmmaus, and 
the apostles as having enjoyed this favor. 

6. THE COLLECT, OR THE PRAYERS OF THE HIDDEN LIFE. 

Return to the Epistle Side of the Altar. — Before the 
storm of persecution raised by Herod Our Lord fled into 
Egypt. The severe trials of exile in an idolatrous land 
were succeeded by hard tasks in the workshop until He 
was thirty years old. But during the days passed in 
Egypt and in Nazareth the divine Saviour silently 
wrought the work of our redemption by labor and prayer. 
When the priest leaves the middle of the altar to go to 
the epistle side, let us think of Jesus as a child, journey- 
ing into exile; let his hands raised to heaven remind us 
of the manual labors of Nazareth, and the Collect the 
prayers which sanctified it. 

The Priest's Hands Raised and Joined, — The hands 
raised during the Collect, the Secret, and the Post-com- 
munion have another mysterious meaning. Tertullian 
tells us that in his time it was customary for Christians 
to pray with the arms extended in the form of a cross ; 
later the hands only were raised ; but the profound 
meaning of this ceremony remains the same. Jesus 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 35 

Christ alone has the right to be heard ; if man, then, 
wishes to obtain grace from on high, he must identify 
himself with his Kedeemer, become another self by sac- 
rifice, resignation, and the cross. God looks lovingly 
upon those who suffer ; at their prayer His heart over- 
flows, pouring down torrents of mercy.- If the Lord 
does not listen to our prayers, we are to blame. Do we 
bear with Christian resignation the marks of the cross 
printed by sorrow on our hearts, or on our bodies by ill- 
ness ? The secret of the power with God which the 
saints possessed is in their spirit of generous sacrifice \ 
"For when I am weak, then am I powerful." (ii. Cor» 
xii. 10.) These words, addressed to the Corinthians by 
the Apostle, have been many times verified ; each page of 
the lives of the saints bears witness to their truth. The 
priest himself has become a man of trials and sorrow 
because he has made himself our mediator in prayer ; 
this is why God has constituted the priesthood a Cal- 
vary, and not a Thabor. But the priest does not pray 
alone. " Let us pray," he says, pray together ; let us put 
ourselves in those good dispositions which obtain every- 
thing from God. His raised hands when he says these 
words remind us what these dispositions are : to accept 
the cross without murmuring, to carry it resignedly. 

Often the priest joins his hands. This position has 
its meaning ; we shall find it in the answer of Mcholas I. 
to the Bulgarians : 

"It is very suitable during prayer," says. the Pope, 
^*to bind one's hands, so to speak, before God, and to 
conduct ourselves in His presence like criminals pre- 
pared for punishment, in order to escape condemnation, 
such as the wicked receive in the parable of the Gospel." 



36 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

7. THE EPISTLE, OR THE MISSION OF THE 
PRECURSOR. 

Before the Gospel^ and under the name of Epistle^ 
the Church reads certain extracts .from the Old or 
New Testament. This reading recalls to us the mission 
confided to the prophets and disciples of preparing the 
world for Our Lord's preaching the Gospel. It was for 
this end that the divine Master sent before Him some of 
Bis chosen ones before He came to preach. Among 
those thus sent there is one greater than all the others ; 
he came like the dawn, proclaiming the rising of the 
Sun of justice, and it is he whom the Church has es- 
pecially in view in the ceremonies which accompany the 
reading of the Epistle, Thus, contrary to the manner 
of reading the Gospel^ the Epistle is read, or sung, with 
the face turned toward the east, because St. John th© 
Baptist always had his eyes fixed upon the Messias, 
Whom the Scriptures and the Church style " the true 
Orient." In solemn Masses', the chant of the Epistle is 
an echo of the voice of the precursor "crying in the 
wilderness," and the absence of lights around the sab- 
deacon is an illustration of those words applied to John : 
"He was not the light." (St. John i. 8.) The faith- 
ful remain seated during the chanting of the Epistle^ 
to figure the sad state of the old world — " them that sit 
in darkness and the shadow of death " ( St. Luke i. 79) 
■ — before. Jesus Christ came to bring them truth and life. 

St. Alphonsus Liguori recommends us to listen to the 
Epistle as if God spoke to us by the means of His 
prophets and apostles ; let us lend a willing ear to the- 
words which are "the spirit and life." (St. John vi. 



Ceremonies of the Mass. ^ 37 

64.) Was it not in reading an epistle of St. Paul that 
St. Augustine found the truth, and the grace of conver- 
sion ? Who can say what rich treasures God has hidden 
there for us ? 

80 THE GRADUAL AND TRACT, OR THE SIGHS OF PENI- 
TENCE. 

The Gradual and the Tracts always analogous to the 
truths contained in the Epistle^ 2iVQ the response of the 
faithful, the protestation of their good will and their 
disposition to conform to the precepts which they have 
just heard. The crowd assembled by the preaching of 
St. John the Baptist returned to their homes converted 
and penitent ; it is of this page in the Gospel story 
that we should think during this part of the Mass. 
The commentators on the liturgy have observed that the 
chant of the Gradual presents greater difficulties in its 
execution than the other liturgical chants. Why has the 
Church thus arranged it if not to show her children that 
the observance of the Lord's law is hard to fallen nature, 
and that one cannot ''love the good God even a little," 
as St. Vincent de Paul has so well said, "except by 
the sweat of his brow." 

Let us respond to the call with which God has for sa 
long summoned us to perfection and penitence. Let us 
say with David : '' My heart is ready. Lord, my heart 
is ready." 

Not to-morrow, not to-night , not soon, but this mo- 
ment, now, let us begin the work. If there are difficul- 
ties and pains, there are also consolations and joys, in 
the service of God, and the flowers grow thicker than 
the thorns. 



38 • The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

9. THE ALLELUIA, OR THE CANTICLE OF THE CELESTIAL 
COUNTRY. 

If the labors of the service of God affright our soul, 
at least the sight of the reward arouses our courage. 
^'They who sow in tears shall reap in joy." (Ps. 
cxxv. 6.) The Alleluia^ the joyous chant of heayen, 
following the Gradual and Tract, arouses in our poor 
hearts, so easily discouraged, this consoling thought. 
*' We shall rejoice more than we can express," says St. 
Gregory the Great. 

''We prolong indefinitely the heavenly song, that the 
ecstatic soul may fly toward those blessed regions 
where life shall have no end, the light no cloud, and 
happiness be unmixed with sorrow." This unending 
bliss is a happiness wiiich even the tongue of St. 
Paul himself could not describe, and the Church, by 
this long series of inarticulate tones wiiich accompany 
the Alleluia, has but one thought— to show to her chil- 
dren that words fail her when she thinks of the splen- 
dors prepared for the elect of God. This is the interpre- 
tation of St. Bonaventure. 

" When we pause so long on the last letter of the w^ord 
alleluia,^'' says this holy doctor, " we seem to say : The 
happiness of the saints in heaven shall have no end, and 
w^e are powerless to speak suitably of its bliss." In the 
Christian solemnities, figures as they are of the eternal 
joys, we delight to prolong the Alleluia, adding to it a 
certain number of notes. The words thus added were 
called sequences, that is to say, the prolongation of the 
Alleluia ; they are also called the Prose. 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 39 

10. THE GOSPEL, OR THE PREACHI^fG OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Preparation, — The time to begin His mission had 
come ; Our Lord left Judea to go into Galilee. His 
choice was Capharnaum, a city wherein lived many 
cjentiles. But previously to beginning His public life 
He prepared Himself for preaching the Gospel by forty 
days of penance and prayer in the desert. How does 
the Church recall to us these divers circumstances ? 
The priest withdraws from the epistle side of the altar, 
as Our Lord left ungrateful Judea ; then, pausing in the 
middle of the altar, still like his divine Master, he 
recollects himself, and prays. Let him not pray alone. 
Let us beg God for a good and docile heart to receive 
the divine seed. If those lips which proclaim the 
Gospel needed purifying, ought not the heart which is 
to receive it be prepared ? 

Changing the place of the book before the Gospel 
shows us, says St. Bonaventure, that *'the nations, 
figured by the left side of the altar, have received the 
doctrine of Jesus Christ from the Jews. For the Jews, 
with the exception of a small number, have rejected the 
teaching of the Saviour, and driven out the apostles. 
And they have deserved to hear the words : * Because 
you have refused the word of God, we will carry it to 
the gentiles.' " (Bxpositio Missoe.) 

The same book brought back to the right side toward 
the end of Mass prophesies the return and pardon of 
the children of Israel. {Rational^ 1. iv. c. 27.) There 
shall come a day when . Our Lord will reunite the dis- 
persed tribes, to receive them into the fold of the 
Church ; then they will accept the truth rejected by 



40 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

their fathers. As to. us, let us feel a salutary fear. 
When a people closes its eyes obstinately to the light of 
faith, God sends the blessed torch to nations more 
grateful, and when a soul resists grace the despised 
grace is offered to souls who will accept it. Lord, we im- 
plore Thee, stay with us always. 

Turning toward the JS'orth, — The preaching of the 
Gospel is the invincible weapon which God has always 
used to conquer the demon ; it is this which the Church 
desires to teach in ordering that the priest shall turn 
toward the north in reading the Gospel. Why the 
north ? On that side the rebel angel has established 
his throne, says Isaias. (xiv. 13.) And Jeremias adds : 
*'From the north shall an evil break forth upon all 
the inhabitants of the land."" (i. 14.) The only thing 
that can stem the venom which Satan pours forth upon 
the world is the word of God. 

Tlie Faithful Standing. — Having been seated during 
the Epistle^ the faithful rise at the Gospel, to show that 
the old world, shaking off the dust of the tomb, was 
raised to life by the word of Jesus Christ. This is also 
to recall the other miracles wrought by the voice of Our 
Saviour : the sick healed and rising up and walking ; the 
dead brought back to life and falling at His feet ; the 
crowd leaving all to follow Him. On reflection we shall 
find in this ceremony teaching proper to ourselves. . If 
w^e are sitting in discouragement and torpor, let us rise ; 
the voice of the Master calls: ''Arise." Perhaps, like 
another prodigal, we live far from God, far from the 
sacred banquet, far from the joys of the Christian family, 
plunged in the mire of vice. May this ceremony not be 



Ceremonies of the Mass, . 41 

to us a lie ; let us rise, and go to God, our Father, Who 
calls us. 

Signs of the Cross. — The sign of the cross made by 
the priest on the sacred text reminds us that Jesus Christ 
has confirmed the truth of His teaching by His death ; 
the cross has been the seal of the Gospel. The priest 
then makes the sign of the cross upon his brow, his lips, 
and his heart. ''This triple sign of the cross," says 
Father Lebrun, " prints the memory of Jesus Christ and 
His holy words in our mind, that we may be filled with 
the holy lessons which Jesus Christ came upon earth to 
teach ; and in our hearts, that we may give all our love 
to carrying them out ; and on our lips, that we may love 
to speak of them, and make them known." 

.Kissing the Book. — Let us kiss the gospel with the 
priest. We cover the letter of a father who is gone with 
kisses and tears, and the gospel remains with us as 
the legacy of God to His children. By this respectful and 
filial kiss we ask Him to pardon all offences and irrev- 
erences committed against His divine Word. 

In solemn Masses the chanting of the Gospel is accom- 
panied with other ceremonies. The deacon, before ful- 
filling his duty, asks the celebrant's blessing ; no one 
can preach w^ho is not sent by God, or those who hold 
his place. The subdeacon goes wdth him, to show the 
harmony between the two Testaments, the prophets and 
the apostles. 

The Church gives to the gospel the same honors as to 
the Eucharist. She fills its way with the perfume of in- 
cense ; she accompanies it with the light of tapers ; she 
incenses it three times, and the deacon w^ho carries the- 



42 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

Gospel, as well as the priest who bears the Eucharist, 
receives this testimony of respect. When we read or hear 
the sacred word, we are like children of the household 
seated around the Lord's table, where we eat the heav- 
enly bread. "Let us not lose a w^ord of it," Origen 
warns us. " For, as in receiving the Eucharist we are 
careful, and rightly so, not to let the smallest crumb fall, 
why should we not believe it a crime to neglect even a 
single word of Jesus Christ, as it is to be careless of His 
body?" (Horn. xiii. in ^xod.) 

The priest is also a gospel, but a living gospel ; by his 
conduct he should preach to the people. That he may 
not forget this duty so important, the Church bestows 
upon him the honor of incense, as to the sacred book 
itself. 

11. THE CREDO, OR PROFESSION OF FAITH IN THE 
DOCTRINE PREACHED BY JESUS CHRIST. 

The word of the humble workman of Nazareth has 
transformed the world ; it has abolished slavery, exalted 
poverty, consoled sorrow, consecrated sacrifice. As it is 
impossible to attack Jesus Christ, glorious and immortal, 
the devil has combated His doctrine, and, after the mur- 
derers of the praetorium and Calvary had taken from Him 
His mortal life, Satan inspired heretics whose constant 
aim was to destroy the spiritual life of Jesus Christ, His 
life in souls by faith. But Jesus Christ dies but once ; 
heresies are always vanquished, and upon their tomb the 
Catholic Church chants her joyous and triumphal Credo. 
Let us say it in these pious sentiments ; let us also thank 
God for the inestimable gift of faith. Let us be ready to 
defend this faith against all who deny it, even unto death, 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 43 

if need be, for we have solemnly promised to do this in 
making the sign of the cross at the end of the Creed. 

By the genuflection at the words: '^And the Word 
was made flesh," we honor the humiliations of the in- 
carnate Word. 

Second Part. 
1. the offertory, or the last supper. 

TJie Offering of the Bread and Wine. — Like his 
divine Master, the priest takes bread in his hands and 
offers it to God. The bread here takes the place of the 
€hurch and Christian people, for, as bread is the' nour- 
ishment and life of man, when he offers it at the altar 
it is as if he offered himself to God to be sacrificed to 
His glory, like Jesus Christ, our head. As the bread is 
to be changed into the body of Jesus Christ, may our 
hearts also be transformed into Him, till it may be "no 
more we who live, but Jesus Christ Who lives in us." . 

The sign of the cross, after the oblation, shows us 
how we can attain this glorious transformation : by mor- 
tification and sacrifice. 

Our Lord also offered wine mixed with water. The 
wine represents Jesus Christ, "the true vine"; and 
water, the Christian people.* St. Cyprian, in a letter to 
€ecilius, teaches this formally. This image is a vivid 
figure of the ineffable union of God with man wrought 
by the incarnation, and of that other union in the 
Eucharist, and again of that third union which will be 

* This last comparison is familiar to sacred writers, who 
often represent the faithful under the image of water. 



44 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

consummated in glory. It is, then, the Church united 
with Jesus Christ, the members to tlieir head, the bride 
to her bridegroom, which the priest offers to God in the 
oblation of the chalice. 

In the drop of water, which is the figure of the faith- 
ful, what an admirable lesson of humility ! Is it not a 
striking image of our annihilation in the presence of the 
God of the Eucharist ? 

*' Behold," says Isaias, *' the gentiles are as a drop in 
a bucket." (Is. xl. 15.) And again, ah, what a terrible 
lesson ! This drop of water reminds us of the small 
number of the saved. 

Washing of the Hands.— Ouy Lord, before giving His 
body and blood to the apostles, washed their feet, thus 
showing us what purity He required in those who would 
sit down at the sacred banquet. Equally privileged 
with the disciples, the priest is about to partake of the 
same mysteries ; it would be a closer imitation of Our 
Lord if he washed his feet, but, as St. Thomas says, " it 
is sufficient to wash the hands ; besides, it is more con- 
venient, and it is enough to show perfect purity, espe- 
cially as it is to our hands that all works are ascribed." 
(1. iii. quaest. 83, art. 5.) During this ceremony we will 
enter into the intentions of the Church, praying Our 
Lord to purify our souls by the virtue of the tears 
which He must have shed on the feet of the traitor 
Judas as He washed them for the last supper. 

The paschal supper over, the Saviour said a hymn as 
an act of thanksgiving, and, the hymn being finished, 
went out to the Garden of Olives. The priest also ends 
the Offertory with a hymn : " Lavaho inter innocentes 
mantis mea^," and returns to the middle of the altar, in 



Ceremonies of the Mass. 45 

remembrance of the way of Our Lord from the chamber 
of the last supper to Gethsemani. 

2. THE INCENSING, OR THE PERFUMES OF MARY MAGDALEN. 

Triple Incensing. — Three times, by pouring out her 
perfumes, the penitent of Bethany wished to honor the 
person of the adorable Saviour : first in the house of 
Simon the Pharisee, again in the liouse of Simon the 
leper, and at the holy sepulchre. Faithful to fulfil the 
words of Jesus Christ : "Wheresoever this gospel shall 
be preached in the whole world, that also which she 
hath 4one shall be told in memory of her," the priest 
three times incenses the* bread and wine of the sacrifice, 
destined so soon to become the divine body and blood ; 
then he incenses the altar, the figure of Jesus Christ. 

The Form of the Cross and of the Crown. — The in- 
censing of the sacred species is done three times in the 
form of a cross, to recall the passion of Our Saviour, 
foreshadowed by Magdalen. " This woman," Jesus 
Christ said to His disciples, "in pouring this ointment 
upon My body has done it for My burial." (St. Matt. 
xxvi. 13,) Following this, the incense is offered three 
times in the form of a crown, because, in His sacred 
humanity, the humiliations of Jesus Christ were fol- 
lowed by His triumphant coronation. During this cere- 
mony let us think of the mercy of Jesus toward sin- 
ners. Were we a thousand times more guilty than 
Magdalen, He would receive us tenderly and sweetly. 
If we are poor prodigals, come back to God after long 
wandering, let us shed upon the feet of Our Lord the 
perfumes of a heart broken by repentance and burning 
with the fire of divine love. 



46 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

3. THE SECRET, OR THE PRAYER IN THE GARDEN OF 
OLIVES. 

Our Lord, being come into the Garden of Olives^ 
began to pray, but His sorrow soon became so profound 
that He fell with His face prostrate upon the ground in 
agony. And see the priest, come to the middle of the 
altar, pray also, but leaning forward, his hands joined, 
in a position of humiliation and prostration. 

A little later Jesus Christ came to seek His apostles, 
but found them heavily sleeping. *' What," He said 
to them, ' ^ could you not watch with Me one hour ? 
Watch ye and pray." (St. Matt. xxvi. 40, 41.) The 
priest also raises himself, interrupts his prayer, and, 
turning to the faithful, says: *' Orate, fratres^ "It 
is Our Lord, in the Garden of Olives, exhorting His 
disciples to pray, that they may not fall into tempta- 
tion," says St. Bonaventure. 

In the person of the priest, then, we should see Jesus 
Christ Himself, Who looks at us with affectionate com- 
passion, and says: "My brothers, — for this you are 
through My incarnation, — pray and increase your recol- 
lection ; the solemn moment of My sacrifice and yours 
draws near." 

4. THE PREFACE, OR THE CHANT OF TRIUMPH. 

The Preface and Sanctus. — We have entered into the 
way of the cross. Already the clamor of the multitude 
reaches us, the threatening of the tempest. Only a few 
hours now, and the Son of God will be "bound, 
scourged, buffeted, put to death, and reckoned among 
the guilty." 



Ceremonies of the Mass. ^7 

The Church opposes the chant of love to the deicidal 
shouts, for the Preface is the reparation for the blas- 
phemies hurled against the divinity of Jesus Christ in 
the hour of His passion. It is for us He suffered, 
and drained the chalice of anguish ; the Church in our 
name thanks God for the blessed sign of the redemp- 
tion, and for all the mercies of which it has been the 
source. The Preface^ the chant of triumph, is also a 
canticle of thanksgiving. But when we would praise 
and thank God we can but stammer like infants, and 
this is why the Church calls upon the angels, the thrones 
and dominations, and all the heavenly powers to come 
with their celestial harps, and chant the Sanctus of 
eternity. The priest says it with them, and, like them, 
prostrated. 

The Sign of the Gross and the Hosanna. — After the 
hymn of heaven comes that of earth, the chant of the 
Hebrew children at the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ 
into Jerusalem. This last canticle is accompanied by 
the sign of the cross : the joys of triumph were of 
short duration ; a few days afterward the same people 
loudly clamored for the dearth of this same Jesus Whom 
they had received as a king,' chanting hosannas. Our 
piety will find reminders of an unparalleled ingratitude 
in the sign of the cross mingling with the Hosanna and 
Benedictus. 

5. THE CANON, OR THE PASSION. 

The Silence of the Canon. — The sacred chants are 
followed by the profoundest silence — silence in the 
priest ; silence among the faithful. Are not the latter 
the figure of the timid apostles at the hour of the pas- 



48 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

sion ? N'one among them dared raise his voice in favor 
of their divine Master, although all had sworn with 
Peter : ' ' Though I should die with Thee, I w^ould not 
deny Thee." 

What tender emotions are aw^akened in the soul by 
the silence of the priest ! The divine Lamb in the hands 
of His enemies uttered not a word, not a complaint. 
In the house of Herod, when He was buffeted, He was 
silent ; in the prsetorium, under the rods and the thorns. 
He was silent ; on Calvary, confronted with blasphemies, 
He was silent. His silence, more eloquent than all 
w^ords, teaches the pardon of injuries, sweetness in the 
face of persecution. 

During the three hours of His agony upon the- cross 
Our Lord prayed in silence; His dying Tips uttered but 
seven w^ords, treasured by the evangelists as the testa- 
ment of His heart. How^ touching it is to see His repre- 
sentative at the altar praying in a low voice from the 
Offertory to the Communion, that is to say, during the 
sacrifice properly so called, and interrupting this mys- 
terious silence but seven times, namely : 1st, at the 
Orate fratres ; 2d, at the Preface ; 3d, at the Wobis 
quoqtie peccatorihus ; 4th, at the Pater Noster ; 5th, at 
the Pax Domini ; 6th, at the Agnus Dei; 7th, at the 
Domine non sum dignus. 

From the JSanctus to the Elevation our minds, and 
our hearts above all, should accompany Our Lord on 
the road to Calvary with Mary and the holy w^omen. 
With confidence we draw> near to Him with Veronica, 
and beg Him to remember us upon His cross. Let us 
recommend to His 'mercy also at this moment the per- 
.sons who are dear to us. 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 49 

6. THE IMPOSITION OF HANDS, OR THE CRUCIFIXION. 

The priest's hands held over the bread and the wine 
which are about to be changed into the body and blood 
of Christ, the sign of the cross so often repeated, repre- 
sent vividly the scene of the crucifixion. History tells 
us that formerly it was the custom to impose hands 
upon the head of one condemned to death, to pour 
upon him all the odium of the crimes of which he was 
guilty, but this ceremony renewed at our altar reminds 
us that the innocent One took upon Himself the guilt of 
sinners, and that it is in the name of sin-stained hu- 
manity that the priest lays upon the august victim the 
sins of all people, that they may be expiated in His 
blood. This is done, too, in the name of God the Father, 
Who, says Isaias, ' ' hath laid on Him the iniquity of us 
all." 

7. THE ELEVATION, OR OUR LORD RAISED UPON THE 

CROSS. 

The Elevation of the ITos^.— ''Kemember," says Fa- 
ther Nouet, "the elevation of Jesus Christ upon the 
cross each time that you adore Him during the elevation 
of the host ; see Him as if He bowed His head to give 
you the kiss of peace ; as if He opened His arms to em- 
brace you ; as if His hands were pierced to give you the 
bounty of His gifts ; as if His feet were nailed in order 
to stay with you. " {Meditation on the Passion.) Let us 
adore Him, bending our knees to expiate the derisive 
genuflections of the Jews ; let us bow our heads lowly, 
in respect for our divine head crowned with thorns. 

TJie Elevation of the Chalice.— -The priest, taking the 



50 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

chalice, places it at the feet of Jesus, as. if to catch the 
blood bursting in torrents from all His wounds, and 
after the consecration he adores it, and the faithful 
prostrate adore with him. The olive-trees of Geth- 
semani, the rods of the scourging, the thorns in the 
crown, the wood of the cross, the lance of the soldier, 
were all reddened with this blood enclosed in the chalice 
raised above our heads. This blessed chalice also holds 
the sweat which bathed the w^orkshop of Nazareth, the 
roads of Judea, the mountain of Calvar}'. It contains 
the tears shed in the crib, at the tomb of Lazarus, gaz- 
ing at Jerusalem, and over each one of us. Let us 
adore it with love and faith. 

An ancient custom was to sound the trumpet at the 
moment of the execution of one who had been con- 
demned to death, to drown the cries or words of the 
sufferer, the tears or murmurs of the crowd. 

Tradition says that this custom was followed at the 
crucifixion ,of the Saviour ; we love to remember this 
when the sound of the sanctuary bell floats through the 
arches. 

Genuflections, and Signs of the Cr 055.— Calvary, the 
cross, the Eedeemer, what memories are vividly present 
to us during the Canon ! 

Everything at the altar is of a nature to recall them 
to us. 

The priest often bends the knee before Jesus Christ, 
in reparation for the hypocritical adoration rendered by 
the Jews on Calvary. Each time that he pronounces 
the name of the body or blood of the Saviour he makes 
the sign of the cross upon the host and the chalice, to 
confess that he has before him the body and blood of 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 51 

Jesus crucified^ and he makes it five times, in memory of 
the five wounds of the adorable victim, while the kiss 
he gives the altar is the figure of the reconciliation be- 
tween heaven and earth wrought by the redemption. 
(Steph. Eduens, De JSacrlf. Alt., c. xvii. ; Florus, Ux- 
posit. Misses.) 

TJie Five Prayers of the Canon.— Yvom the Elevation 
to the Pater there are five prayers in the Canon. In 
order to say them well let us place ourselves in each one 
of the wounds of Our Lord. If our piety leads us to 
unite ourselves at this time with those privileged wit- 
nesses of Our Saviour's death, let us recite the first one 
with Mary, the mother of sorrows, standing at the foot 
of the cross ; the second with the beloved apostle ; dur- 
ing the third let us shed tears of penitence with Mag- 
dalen on the feet of Jesus ; at the fourth let us unite 
ourselves with the holy women ; and at the fifth, with 
the good thief let us beg for mercy. 

8. THE MEMENTO OF THE DEAD, OR THE JUST RAISED 
AGAIN BY JESUS CHRIST. 

Our Lord upon the cross remembered the just who 
had died in His grace : " And the graves were opened : 
and many bodies of the saints that had slept arose. '^ 
(St. Matt, xxvii. 52.) 

This same God, the sovereign master of life and death, 
is upon the altar. The priest recommends to Him the 
souls of those '^ who have preceded us, and sleep in the 
sleep of peace." He implores Him to drop upon them 
the blessed dew of His blood, and to give them *' a place 
of refreshment, light, and peace." 

At the Memento let us all pn.y for those whom we 



52 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

have lost ; faith shows them to us in purgatory, with 
their guardian angels descending into its abysses, bring- 
ing to them the precious blood. 

How consoling to the heart is the thought that many 
of these poor souls so dear to us receive help in their 
; sufferings. Some of them, we will gladly believe, en- 
tirely purified, come around the altar to join with us, 
the angels, and the saints in adoring their Redeemer. 

9. THE NOBIS QUOQUE PECCATORIBUS, OR THE PRAYER OF 
THE GOOD THIEF. 

At these words of the Canon : * ' JS'obis quoque pec- 
catoribus,^^ the priest raises his voice, and strikes his 
breast, representing the repentance, the confession, and 
the prayer of the thief crucified on the right hand of 
Our Lord. He openly acknowledged himself guilty : 
*^ We receive the due reward of our deeds." Then, rec- 
ommending himself to the Saviour, he added: "Lord, 
remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom." 
(St. Luke xxii. 42.) Encouraged by this example, the 
priest dares to ask a place in heaven with the apostles, 
the martyrs, the virgins, and all the saints. Who, then, 
should fear or despair ? God has put into the guiltiest 
hands the two keys which will infallibly open heaven : 
confidence and repentance. 

10. THE SECOND ELEVATION, OR THE DEATH OF OUR 
SAVIOUR. 

The three signs of the cross made with the host raised 
above the chalice, and the two others outside of the chalice 
recall the three hours passed on the cross by the Saviour 
(St. Thomas) and the separation of His soul and His body. 



Ceremonies of the Mass. 53 

The body is here represented by the host ; the soul by 
the blood enclosed in the chalice.* (St. Thorn.) The 
sound of the bell is a symbol of the convulsion of na- 
ture in this supreme hour (Benedict XIY.) ; and the 
louder voice of the priest, interrupting the long silence 
of the Canon, recalls the words of the sacred text : 
*' Jesus uttered a loud cry, and bowing His head He 
gave up the ghost." (St. Matt, and St. John.) 

At this second elevation let us bow our heads de- 
voutly, and adore Jesus Christ bowing His head, and 
breathing out His last sigh. 

Third Part. 

1. the pater noster, or the prayer of jesus christ 
upon the cross. 

Our Lord had just breathed His last sigh. His 
blessed Mother, the beloved disciple, Magdalen, and the 
holy women were at the foot of the cross. What was 
that faithful and devoted little band doing ? The Gos- 
pel is silent on this point. But if we ask our hearts, 
their ardent love and the liveliness of their faith in 
Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, we seem to see them falling 
upon their knees, with their eyes, wet with tears, fixed 
upon the blood-stained body of Jesus, and praying that 
the blessed fruits of the redemption would save the 
guilty world which the Saviour had loved so much. 

The same victim is there, immolated before us. At 
the sight of the bitter chalice presented to His lips He 

* It is commonly said that the soul abides in the blood, be- 
cause it is indispensable to life. This observation is from St. 
Thomas. 



54 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

said: ^'Father, not My will but Thine be done." (St. 
Luke xxii. 22.) And from the cross He called down 
only benedictions upon His murderers : ' ' Father, for- 
give them, for they know not what they do." (St. Luke 
xxiii. 34.) Let us enter into the spirit of the Master, and 
lay at the foot of the cross a heart which is resigned to 
suffering, and pardons all injuries. 

Formerly the people said the Pater Noster together. 
This custom still prevails among the Greeks, and 
existed in France until the time of Charlemagne. A 
trace of this practice is found in the faithful having 
the honor of saying aloud the last request of this 
prayer. 

2. THE LIBERA NOS, OR THE MYSTERIES OF THE BURIAL. 

*'The chalice," says St. Bernard, ''represents tons 
the sepulchre, and the pall the stone which sealed its 
mouth ; the corporal is the figure of the winding-sheet, 
and the host, which we see, is no longer bread, but is 
the flesh of Jesus Christ fastened to the cross for the 
salvation of mankind." (Sermon on the dignity of the 
priest. ) 

The priest taking the body of his Saviour, laying it in 
the chalice, wiiich he then covers with the pall, carries 
us to the holy sepulchre. There let us keep as close as 
possible to Jesus Christ : let us press our lips affection- 
xitely to the w^ounds in His feet and hands: behold the 
perfumes which He asks of us for His burial. 

The silence which folio w^s the Pater is an image of 
the silence of the tomb. It also recalls the recollection 
and the sorrow of the holy women kept in their homes by 
the observance of the Sabbath. (Innocent III., 1. v. c. 



Ceremonies of the Mass. ' 55 

28.) While the friends of Our Saviour on earth were 
rendering to His body the last duties of love, where 
was His divine soul ? The souls of the just of the 
old law were in limbo, sighing as they awaited His 
coming ; His soul went down to them to announce the 
nearness of their hour of deliverance. The prayer Libera 
nos is the lively expression of their sighs. 

There are still souls who sigh in the hope of heaven ; 
at this part of the sacrifice Our Lord goes to them to 
console them. Let us recommend them to His tender 
love. 

3. THE BREAKING OF THE HOST, OR THE SIDE OF JESUS 
OPENED BY THE LANCE. 

Our Lord had died, and a soldier armed with a lance 
opened His right side, from which flowed water and 
blood. At that moment, springing from the open side 
of the new Adam, sleeping on the tree of the cross, 
came the spouse whom He had chosen, the holy Catholic 
Church. 

This solemn circumstance of the formation of the 
Church upon Calvary should have its place in the sacri- 
fice of the Mass. We shall find it under a thrilling 
form. The priest holds above the chalice the body of 
bis God ; he divides the holy species, and then, from 
the right side of the host, he breaks a fragment, mar- 
vellously figuring the wound in the side of Our Lord. 
Tiie host is divided into three parts, by their number 
mid their nature symbolizing the Church coming from 
the open side of Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ is not 
divided except in appearance, and under each of the 
three parts He remains entire. 



56 The Sacrifice of the Mciss. 

Is not this a symbolic image of the Catholic Church, 
divided into three branches : the Church triumphant, 
the Church militant, and the Church suffering, all three 
making, however, only one and the same Church ? (St. 
Thomas.) 

After breaking the host the priest makes three times 
the sign of the cross with the body of Jesus Christ on 
the chalice, in memory of the three days in the sepul- 
chre (St. Thomas) ; then, fixing his eyes respectfully 
upon that sacred flesh, covered with the kisses of Mary, 
and watered by the tears of John and the Magdalen, 
like another Joseph of Arimathea, as an early writer 
calls him, he lays it in the chalice, become another 
tomb on this new Calvary. 

4. THE AGNUS DEI, OR THE RESURRECTION. 

The Part Laid in the Chalice. — ^^ In the Mass," says 
Benedict XIY., *'the passion and death of Jesus Christ 
are represented by the separation of His body and His 
blood. Although this separation can only be in a mys- 
tical manner, because the body could not be apart from 
the blood, nor the blood from the body, however, by 
this entirely mystical separation of the body from the 
blood, and the blood from the body, the passion and 
death of Our Lord are perfectly represented. It re- 
mains, then, but to express in the sacrifice His glorious 
resurrection ; it could not be done more perfectly than 
by putting into the chalice a fragment of the host, and 
thus showing the reunion of the body and blood of 
Jesus Christ." {Be Sac. Missce, 1. ii. c. 20.) 

Pax Domini^ and Agnus DeL — The words of the 
liturgy now join themselves to the ceremonies to reiter- 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 5T 

ate the holy joys of the resurrection. The Pax xohiscum 
is an echo of the salutation of peace given by Our Lord 
on Easter to the assembled disciples. *' Pax xohiscum '' 
(^ • Peace be unto you ''), He said to them. {Micrologiie^ 

C. XX.) 

On that day the walls of the chamber of the paschal 
supper heard the solemn words which gave to the 
apostles the power to remit sins ; in memory of this the 
Church repeats three times the suppliant cry of the 
Agnus Dei^ asking mercy and pardon for her numerous 
family. (Innocent III., 1. iv. c. 4.) Scarcely has the 
Agnus Dei^ which is called the chant of the resurrection, 
been heard in the sanctuary than the choir, until that 
time upon its knees, in a posture of humiliation and 
sorrow, rises up, in token of the victory over death of 
Jesus Christ arisen. 

The Kiss of Peace. — During the first six centuries the 
salutation of the priest : ' ' May the peace of the Lord be 
always with you," was the signal for the Christians 
giving one another peace by embracing. 

The men gave to men this holy kiss, women gave it 
to women, and then the people, a family of brothers, 
drew near joyously to the banquet of the Lamb, at 
which, according to the language of the doctors, the 
peaceful alone had the right to sit down. The Church 
has preserved something of this custom. In the solemn 
Masses the deacon gives to the subdeacon the kiss of 
peace which he has just received from the celebrant ; 
the latter, to show us that he has drawn this peace from 
the very heart of the Saviour, first kisses the altar. 
Formerly he kissed the sacred host. (Benedict XIV. , De 
Sac. Jfissce^ 1. ii. c. 20.) 



58 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

Should not this ceremony have had its origin in the 
chamber of the last supper ? The Gospel does not say 
so, but Jesus Christ has taught us too "much of the com- 
passionate tenderness of His heart for us to doubt that 
He reassured His terror-stricken apostles by embracing 
them. 

5. THE COMMUNION, OR THE EUCHARISTIC REPASTS OF 
JESUS CHRIST ARISEN WITH HIS APOSTLES. 

Communion of the Priest, — After the intermingling 
of the body and blood the priest, with the eyes of faith, 
sees before him upon the altar Jesus Christ, but Jesus 
Christ arisen. He knows Him ; it is the same Jesus 
Christ Y»^ho, after His resurrection, appeared to the 
holy women ; like them, he bows down to adore Him. 
He speaks to Him with a sweet confidence, for Our Lord 
has said to him, to him also, **Itis I: fear not." (St. 
John yi. 20.) It is the same Jesus Christ "VYho gave 
Himself in food to the disciples at Emmaus ; like them, 
the priest knows Him in the broken bread, laid there 
before him upon the paten. It is the same Jesus Christ 
Who said to St. Thomas : ^' Bring hither thy hand and 
put it into My side." (St. John xx. 28.) Oh, the 
ineffable happiness of a priest ! He takes into his hand 
the glorious and immortal body of Jesus Christ arisen ; 
he covers with his finger tlie open wound in the side of 
the Saviour, and, under the fragile species recognizing 
with the apostle his "Lord and his God," he strikes 
his breast three times, and humbly says : " Domine^ non 
sum dignus,'' etc. (" Lord, I am not worthy that Thou 
shouldst enter into the house of my soul, but only speak 
one of those almighty words which have created the 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 59 

world, controlled the elements, death, and the demon, 
and my soul shall be healed "j. 

He raises to his lij^s the bread of angels, lays it on 
his trembling tongue, thus become the throne of the 
Most High — the union is consummated, and it is no 
more the priest who lives, but Jesus Christ "Who lives in 
him. The sign of the cross made with the chalice, as it 
was made before with the sacred host, should recall to 
the priest, if he could ever forget it, that he is about 
to drink the blood of his crucified God. Filled with 
this thought, he raises it to his lips with love, as if he 
pressed them to the side of his divine Master. 

Thus watered with this divine dew, bear fruit, O my 
soul ! And may thy fruits endure ; may this redeeming 
blood heal thy wounds, render thee invulnerable to sin, 
and preserve thee unto eternal life. 

Of what event of the glorious life of Our Lord should 
the communion of the priest remind us ? Of the eu- 
'charistic banquets of Jesus Christ arisen with His 
apostles. 

The Gospel makes us assist, even the very liight of 
the resurrection, at the breaking of bread in the village 
of Emmaus. Later it shows us the divine Master, on 
the seashore, eating broiled fish and a honeycomb. 
Now the fathers have seen in the broiled fish a figure of 
the body of Jesus Christ crucified, and in the honey- 
comb a symbol- of His blood, "sweeter than the most 
fragrant honey." 

Communion of the Faithful. — The disciples at 
Emmaus had part in the breaking of bread, and, in the 
repast beside the sea, Jesus Christ, having taken a 
piece of the broiled fish and of the honeycomb, gave the 



60 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

rest to His disciples. Following the steps of the Sa- 
viour's friends, come, holy souls, sit down at the sacred 
banquet. At Emmaus He concealed His glory under 
the garb of a pilgrim ; at the altar He hides within the 
person of the j)riest. His hands have broken the bread 
of heaven ; draw near, come and eat the bread of 
angels, the mystical fish, the heavenly honey. Has 
your heart contracted in the dust of the roadside one of 
those stains from which we cannot entirely preserve our 
poor nature ? Let it rise up in confidence ; Jesus Christ 
Himself asks pardon for it. ^' May Almighty God have 
mercy upon you, forgive you your sins, and bring you 
to eternal life. May the almighty and merciful Lord 
give you pardon, absolution and full remission of all 
your sins. Amen." Let us recite the Confiteor, that 
prayer of repentance and hope, with sorrow and humility, 
and, bending beneath the consecrated hand raised above 
our heads to call down pardon, let us have unlimited 
confidence ; the voice which invokes mercy upon us is 
powerful in heaven with the heart of God. 

6. THE CHANTS OF THE COMMUNION, OR THE JOY OF THE 
APOSTLES IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. 

In the beautiful days of the youthful Church psalms 
were sung during the Communion in accord with that 
holy action. In the East it was the canticle : "As 
the hart panteth after the fountains of waters, so my 
soul panteth after Thee, O God." In the West it was 
the thirty-third psalm: " I will bless the Lord at all 
times, His praise shall be always in my mouth." The 
hymns sung now during the communion are the revival 
of this pious custom. "What is more beautiful ? " says 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 61 

Mgr. Gaume. *'The festivals of kings and the great 
ones of the earth are accompanied by songs and music ; 
should not harmonious chants arise daring the sacred 
feast to which God Himself, at once the host, the food, 
and the guest, invites His children ? And while the 
arches of the temple resound with the chants of our 
love, the angels present at the divine banquet repeat 
upon their golden harps the goodness of God and the 
happiness of man." (Catechism^ 1. xxiii.) The ancient 
psalm of the Communion has been reduced to a versicle 
called the Communion. Like the chant of the first cen- 
turies, this versicle represents the joy of the apostles at 
the tidings of the resurrection. (Innocent III., 1. iv. c. 8.) 

7. THE POST-COMMUNION, OR THE FORTY DAYS OF THE 
GLORIOUS LIFE. 

After the Communion the priest turns to the people 
twice to wish them peace : our thoughts should turn to 
Our Lord repeating twice within the walls of the 
chamber of the last supper the Pax vohis of pardon, 
and ill these salutations the priest, extending his hands 
and sliQwing his heart, recalls to us principally Jesus 
Christ showing the wounds of His hands and that of 
His side to His disciples. (Innocent III., 1. iv, c. 8.) 

PosUcommunion. — During the days of the glorious 
life Our Lord continued by prayer His office of divine 
mediator, and in heaven His wounds intercede for us. 
The hands of the priest, raised toward heaven during 
the Post-communion, represent this mystery of mercy. 

This prayer is said for the communicants. During 
Lent the spirit of humility and of penitence withdraw- 
ing from the holy table some of the faithful, the Church, 



62 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

in order not to deprive them of such an efficacious 
prayer in this part of the sacrifice, established for their 
benefit a special prayer. This is the one said last in Lent, 
and preceded by the words : " Humiliate capita vestra 
Deo " (" Bow down your heads to God"). On Sunday 
this is omitted, because on this day all the faithful com- 
municating, or being about to communicate, have a 
part in the prayers of the Post-communion. 

8. THE ITE, MISSA EST, OR THE ASCENSION. 

The details of the ascension, as told in the Scriptures, 
are : the benediction given to the disciples, the words 
of the angel bidding them to go back to Jerusalem, and 
the joyous return of these same disciples — three circum- 
stances reproduced in the liturgy at the end of the Mass. 

The Last Dominies Vobiscum. — The priest going back 
to the middle of the altar represents Our Lord going to 
Bethany upon the Mount of Olives. Like his divine 
Master, he blesses the faithful, and for the last time 
wishes them peace. Our Saviour said to His followers 
in order to console them : ' ' Behold I am with you all 
days, even to the consummation of the world." At the 
last Dominus vohiscum let us not forget this promise ; 
it must have been the cause of great joy to the apostles' 
hearts in the hour of separation. We are going back to 
our houses, to separate ourselves from Jesus Christ. 
But no ; there is no more separation ; God is with us, 
in our hearts, above all if we have had the happiness to 
communicate. 

Tlie Ite, Missa Est, — In Low Masses the priest, or if it 
is a High Mass the deacon, filling the office of the angels, 
dismisses the faithful with these words: '' Ite, Missa 



Ceremonies of the Mass, 63 

est,'''' that is to say : '^ Go now, for Jesus Christ, our one 
advocate, has left this altar to enter into His glory." 
^^ Deo gratias^'' ("Thanks be to God"), answer the 
people, uniting their gratitude to the disciples', w^ho 
*^ went back to Jerusalem with great joy, praising and 
blessing God." Ah, yes, let us lovingly say : " Thanks 
be to God, \^'' Deo gratias''\ for heaven and earth are 
reconciled." Thanks be to God that the august victim, 
awaited for four thousand years, came to immolate 
Himself for us. Thanks to God the Father, Who has 
delivered anew His Son to be sacrificed upon the altar. 
Thanks to the Son, Who renewed among us the mysteries 
of His mortal life. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Who 
formed the victim in the womb of Mary, and Whose 
fruitful power has formed Him again upon our altar. 
Thanks to the Blessed Trinity for all His goodness, of 
which the sacrifice which has just been offered is the 
wonderful epitome : 

The Benedicamus Domino. — During Advent and Lent 
our fathers not only assisted at Mass, but at the Canoni- 
cal Hours with which it was followed. In those days of 
longer a^d more fervent prayers, instead of dismissing 
the congi:egation with the words : " Ite, Missa est,'''' they 
were invited to bless the Lord by the sacrifice of praise : 
''' Benedicamus Domino''^ ("Let us bless the Lord"). 
These words have been preserved in the Church to re- 
mind us that it is necessary to sanctify the holy time of 
penitence by prayer. 



64 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

9. THE BENEDICTION, OR THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY 
GHOST. 

The Placeat. — The prayer of the apostles assembled 
in that upper room, and that of Our Saviour asking His 
Pather to send the Consoler, are figured by the prayer 
Placeat, placed between the last Dominus vohiscum^ the 
meaning of which we have already seen, and the bene- 
diction, regarded by the greatest liturgists as the sym- 
bol of the descent of the Holy Ghost on the apostles. 
(Inn. III., vi. 14.) Seven times during the Mass the 
prayer '''' Et cum spiritu tuo*'' rises from the hearts of 
the faithful to Our Lord, imploring the coming of the 
divine Paraclete. These devout aspirations are about 
to be answered. 

The Words and Form of the Benediction. — The priest 
"first kisses the altar, the figure of Jesus Christ, to show 
that it is the Son of God Who sent the Holy Spirit of 
consolation upon the earth. Then he blesses : "In the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost," for, says Innocent III., although the Holy Spirit 
especially was sent, the works of the Trinity being indi- 
visible, the three divine Persons have co-operated in 
this mystery : it is for this reason, he adds, that the 
benediction is given in the name of the august Trinity. 
(Inn. III., vi. 14.) The sign of the cross which accom- 
panies this blessing recalls to Christians that the mer- 
cies of Pentecost are the fruits of the merits of the pas- 
sion. Jesus Christ has said this: "It is expedient to 
you that I go, for if I go not the Paraclete will not come 
to you." (St. John xvi. 7.) 

We have received the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. 




Feretory. 
A very rich style of Reliquary. 




ClBORIUM. 

Formerly above altars was raised a canopy held up by 
columns. In the middle were hung doves of gold or silver, 
in which the Host was laid.— See page 21. 



Ceremonies of the Mass. 65 

The darkness of our minds, the faltering of our wills, 
the wrong in our hearts, prove that the Spirit of light, 
of strength, of piety, no longer reigns in us. 

With bowed heads, as on the day when we were en- 
rolled in the army of Christ, let us beg the Holy Spirit 
to vouchsafe once more to be the guest of our hearts. 

10, THE LAST GOSPEL, OR THE PREACHING OF THE 
APOSTLES AND THEIR SUCCESSORS. 

After Pentecost the apostles, filled with the Holy 
Spirit, went into all parts of the known world to sow the 
seed of the Gospel. Other laborers have carried on the 
divine work, and even to the end of time the Christian 
apostolate will be continued upon the earth. This 
preaching is figured by the reading of the last gospel. 
The authority of the apostles was that of their Master : 
^' He who hears you hears Me," Our Lord said to them ; 
upon the lips of God or upon those of an apostolic 
laborer the Gospel is the same ; for which reason the 
two gospels are read at the same side of the altar. 

Because of this, too, they are always accompanied by 
the same salutation, the same signs of the cross. How- 
ever, as the greatest honor is due to the preaching of the 
Master, for the first gospel only, which symbolizes this, 
there is chanting, lights carried, the sacred text is in- 
censed and kissed. 

For a long time the Mass ended at the blessing of the 
priest. Pope Pius Y. obliged all priests to add to it the 
Gospel of St. Jokn. In some churches it was recited in 
going to the sacristy ; in others it was said within the 
sacristy. The usage of the Eoman Church is to read it 
at the altar. This observation leads us to another. The 



66 TJie Sacrifice of the Mass. 

preparatory prayers of the Mass, now said at the foot 
of the altar, were also said for a long time in the sac- 
risty ; consequently the Mass upon which the liturgists 
commented commenced at the Introit, and ended at the 
benediction. 

Before leaving the altar at which so many graces have 
been given us, let us love to say, with the Maronite 
priest, this prayer which he says as he kisses the altar 
at the end of Mass : "Rest in peace, holy and divine 
altar of the Lord. Shall I return to thy feet, or will 
death prevent me ? I know not. May God grant at 
least that I see thee again in the celestial church of 
the first-born of heaven. I will rest in this hope which 
God has given me. Remain in peace, holy and propi- 
tious altar. May the sacred body, may the blood which 
has just been offered, wash away my stains, destroy my 
sins, and give me confidence before the throne of our 
God, the immortal Lord. Remain in peace, holy altar, 
life-giving table. Pour down upon me the mercy of 
Jesus Christ, and may I keep thy memory in my heart, 
now and forever and ever. Amen." 



CHAPTER v.— PONTIFICAL MASS. 

1. THE bishop's ornaments. 

When the bishop celebrates pontifically, besides the 
sacerdotal vestments of which we have spoken, he 
wears the hose, the sandals, the tunic, the dalmatic, 
the gloves, the ring, the mitre, the crosier, and the 
breast-cross. If he has been raised to the dignity of an 
archbishop, he wears also the pallium. 



Pontifical Mass, 67 

Hose and Sandals. — The hose are the ceremonial 
stockings which cover the leg to the knee ; the shoes 
which a bishop wears in pontifical Masses are called 
sandals. The bishop by his office is a messenger of the 
Gospel, the successor of those whom Our Lord com- 
manded to go throughout the world '' shod with san- 
dals." (St. Mark. vi. 9.) St. Paul explains to us the 
meaning of this recommendation : "Your feet shod," 
he says, " with the preparation of the Gospel of peace." 
(Eph. vi. 15.) 

He who bears the good tidings in his apostolic jour- 
neys will have to crush the serpent, and bruise his 
head ; let him, then, be shielded against the venomous 
sting of him that always bites the heel. 

The hose and sandals recall also that the bishop has 
not been raised to the episcopate for ease and leisure, but 
to be wearied in his journeying to preach. 

The Tanic. — Of all the events in the life of Our Lord 
that which is constantly present in the Church's 
thoughts is the passion. 

Not a detail of that sorrowful drama that is not re- 
called in the liturgy. Li the alb we have seen the white 
robe with which Our Saviour was clad in the court of 
Herod ; in the chasuble, the royal mantle thrown over 
His torn shoulders ; and now in the tunic of the bishop 
is placed before our eyes memories not less touching. 
Its name, its form, recall to us that seamless tunic woven 
for Jesus by Mary's pure hands, and for which the sol- 
diers drew lots at the foot of the cross. (Inn. HI., 1. i. 
c. 39.) The last relic of a condemned one, drawn lots 
for under the eyes of His Mother — what anguish for 
such a tender heart ! 



68 ' The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

Why does not the priest take for the sacrifice a yest- 
ment so rich in memories ? Here we touch upon a 
mystery. The seamless garment of Jesus Christ which 
was not divided figured the Church in her unalterable 
unity, that faithful spouse whom neither heresy nor 
schism has divided. This is the teaching of the holy 
doctors : " While the veil of the temple was rent," says 
St. Athanasius, ^*the tunic of the Saviour remained 
whole in the hands of the soldiers. The Gospel has pre- 
served its integrity while the shadows flee." {Seinn, de 
Cruce.) The priest is a minister of the Church, but by 
his sacred office the bishop is her spouse ; the closest ties 
unite him to her. The tunic is a symbol of that mystic 
alliance. 

The Dalmatic. — Above the silken tunic the bishop 
wears a dalmatic of the same material. The ample folds of 
this vestment, reserved in the liturgy to the deacons who 
distribute charity, protectors of the widow and orphan, 
in a word, ministers and servants of the poor, symbolizes 
the charity and mercy recommended to the apostles by 
Our Lord. The bishop, spouse of the Church, should 
be, as it were, clothed with mercy toward all the suffer- 
ing members of that Church — the poor, -the weak, the 
afflicted. 

The Gloves. — These were originally made of the skin 
of the kid ; the testimony of early writers, as well as the 
meaning that the Church attaches to them, leaves this 
point beyond doubt. "Lord," says the bishop, taking 
the gloves, " set around about my hands the purity of 
the new man descended from heaven, that, having fol- 
lowed the example of Jacob, Thy well beloved, who 
covered his hands with the skin of kids, and obtained 



Pontifical Mass, 69 

his father's blessing, having offered him wine and food, 
I may receive, in consideration of the saving victim 
offered by my hands, the blessing of Thy grace." From 
this prayer springs the meaning of the prelate's gloves in 
the sacred ceremonies. 

The Ring. — ^^All nations have looked upon the ring as 
a sign of dignity : the ring is the crown of the hand. It 
was given to the bishop because of his pre-eminence 
among the clergy. But we have seen that he who is 
raised to the episcopate becomes the spouse of the 
Church to which God sends him ; it is in this title that 
he receives the ring on the day of his consecration. Says 
St. Optatus : "As spouse of the Church, and follow- 
ing the example of Christ, he should be ready to sacri- 
fice his life for her, if it were necessary." (Lib. i., ad 
Pann.) 

Tlie Mitre — This is the golden crown upon the 
bishop's brow ; it is wonderfully suitable to him who 
represents Our Lord crowned in the glory of "many, 
diadems." (Apoc. xix. 12.) 

This crown does not in the least resemble those of the 
princes of this world ; its form, consecrated by many 
centuries, has the appearance of two horns. Let them 
be a reminder of the light which encircled the brow 
of Moses as he descended from Mount Sinai ; many 
authors so consider it, as do we. For the bishop also 
is a legislator and guide to the people of God. But it is 
more : a horn has been always, and everywhere in an- 
tiquity, the triple symbol of glory, power, and royalty ; 
a triple character which belongs to Jesus Christ, and 
with which He wished to clothe His representatives in 
the supernatural order. The Church has placed two 



70 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

upon the mitres of prelates, and their signification is 
given to us in the prayers which accompany tlie imposi- 
tion of this insignia on the head of the newly conse- 
crated bishop. These two horns are the figure of the wis- 
dom of tlie two Testaments, the spiritual arms necessary 
to the bishop to combat the enemies of the Church. 

The Crosier, — Our Lord recommended the messengers 
of the Gospel to take nothing with them ; the staff was 
permitted them, not for defence, still less for attack, 
but as a badge of their sublime vocation — to be pastors 
of souls, to guide them, sustain them, raise them up, 
correct them. These divers duties of the pastoral min- 
istry are recalled to the prelate by the traditional form 
of his crosier : pointed at the lower end, and curved at 
its upper one. By the cowardly or idle sheep the 
spur of reprimand must be felt ; but the good pastors 
goes after those who have wandered far from the sheep- 
fold, over stones, precipices, brambles, and with the 
hand of a loving friend gives them help. Is it not this 
tender anxiety for the lost sheep which the Church 
wishes to indicate by the curved form of the pastoral 
staff ? St. Antoninus and Innocent III. say so ex,- 
pressly. 

The Pallium. — This insignia, reserved to archbishops, 
completes the signification of the shepherd's staff. It 
consists of a woollen band placed on the shoulders of 
the prelate, and attached to the chasuble by three 
golden pins. Its material, borrowed from the fleece of 
little lambs, reminds the bishop that he shoald carry on 
his shoulders the weary slieep, and bring them back to 
the fold, at the price of his own weariness and sweat. 
The figure of the Good Shepherd formerly adorned the 



Pontifical Mass. ^\ 

pallium, the better to imprint this lessen upon the 
mind of the bishop. The three pins which fasten the 
pallium to the chasuble are a souvenir of the love of 
the Good Shepherd ; three nails fastened Him to the 
cross for love of His sheep. 

The Cross on the Breast.— ^e^w^ Christ, triumphant 
and crowned with glory, has kept in His hands, His 
feet, His side, the wounds of Calvary. In the vestments 
of the bishop the Church has wished to place under our 
eyes this double reminder of triumph and suffering. 
The crown of the pontiff, his throne, his ministers, the 
gold, the precious stones on his sacred vestments, are 
the memorials of triumph. The memorial of Calvary 
and of the wounds we see in the cross which shines 
upon the gloves, the sandals, and on the bishop's 
breast. 

2. CEREMONIES OF THE PONTIFICAL MASS. 

The Throne. — The bishop is the perfect image of 
Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of His Father ; 
this is why he has a throne, why also he has a place of 
honor. The various members of the sacerdotal hier- 
archy surround him, hastening to clothe him in his 
ornaments, rendering him profound homage, after the 
example of the celestial hierarchies forming a glorious 
crown around the throne of Jesus Christ, and happy to 
serve Him. 

Tlie Seven Altar-tapers. — Here is another reminder 
of heaven ; the altar upon which the sacrifice of eternity 
is offered appeared to St. John adorned with seven 
candlesticks. 

The Kiss on the Hand. — H anything is given to the 



72 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

bishop, or if he receives something, the minister kisses 
his hand. This act has been considered from all eter- 
nity as an expression of devotion and submission. 
*' Bless God," the Church seems to say to us, '' in pros- 
perity and in adversity ; His paternal hand is always 
worthy of love, whether it showers blessings upon us, 
or whether it takes them away." 

This ceremony is the literal translation of the beauti- 
ful words of Job in affliction : ^ ' The Lord gave, and the 
Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the 
Lord." (Job i. 21.) And those others of persecuted 
David: "I will bless the Lord at all times." (Ps. 
xxxiii. 1.)' 

The Entrance into the Choir. — This ceremony repre- 
sents the coming into the world of Our Lord by His in- 
carnation. The cross is borne in advance of the clergy ; 
it has been the beacon of humanity ; the world of an- 
tiquity saluted it from the beginning with its most 
earnest vows, its most lively hopes. The incense is here 
the symbol of the prayers which made the heavens rain 
the just upon the earth, and the lights recall the prophe- 
cies in the midst of the ancient world, the twilight of a 
divine dawn. The subdeacon and the deacon are the 
Old and New Testaments, the figure and the reality. 
The closed book which the subdeacon carries represents 
the obscurity of the prophecies of the Old Testament. 
The assistant priest figures the law of Moses under the 
high priest Aaron ; he walks after the subdeacon, for 
these are the prophecies which led the priesthood of 
Aaron to the knowledge of the Messias. The two dea- 
cons at the side of the prelate represent Abraham and 
David, who received the most definite promises of the 



Pontifical Mass, 73 

incarnation of the Word. Besides which the Gospel 
puts them at the head of Christ's ancestors : '' The book 
of the generations of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of 
Abraham." (Inn. III., 1. ii. c. 6.) 

The Maniple. — Originally this was a linen intended 
to wipe away the sweat, and sometimes the tears, of the 
celebrant. The priest, not being surrounded by minis- 
ters as is the bishop, took his maniple before beginning 
the Mass. But the bishop received it from the hands of 
the subdeacon at the moment when he mounted to the 
altar. This ceremonial is preserved, and the prelate 
does not take the maniple until after the Confiteor. 

Opening and Kissing the Missal. — As soon a5 the 
bishop goes to the altar the Missal, closed until then, 
breaking its seals, opens before him ; the bishop kisses 
it, and then incenses the altar, while the Introit chants 
the glories of the redeeming Lamb. The best commen- 
tary on this ceremony is the page of the Apocalypse to 
which it alludes. The resemblances are so striking that 
they will present themselves unaided to the reader : 
' * And I saw in the right hand of Him Who sat on the 
throne a book written within and without, sealed 
with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel, pro- 
claiming with a loud voice : Who is worthy to loose 
the seals thereof ? And no man was able, neither in 
heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, to open 
the book, nor to look on it. And I wept much, be- 
cause no man was found worthy to open the book, 
nor to see it. And one of the ancients said to me : 
Weep not ; behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the 
root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to 
loose the seven seals thereof. And I saw : and behold 



74 The Sacrifice of the Mass, 

in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creat- 
ures, and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb stand- 
ing as it were slain, having seven horns and seven 
eyes : which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth 
into all the earth. And he came and took the book out 
of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne. And 
when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, 
and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the 
Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden 
vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints : 
and they sang a new canticle." (Apoc. v. 1-9.) We 
can see in this kiss upon the book the love of the in- 
carnate Word for the will of His Father ; He wished to 
fulfil the Holy Scriptures to the last syllable ; and it was 
not until the consummation of His sacrifice by obedience 
that He breathed His last sigh. 

The Bishop on His Throne. — The bishop, after in- 
censing the altar, goes to his throne and remains there 
until the Offertory. This was always the custom in the 
Church from the first centuries ; the priest did not 
return to the altar till the moment of the oblation ; 
during the prayers which preceded it he was seated in 
the place assigned to the celebrant, away from the 
altar. 

The Pax Vohis of the Gloria.— Miev the Gloria the 
bishop salutes the people by these words : ^' Pax vohis,^'' 
(' ' Peace be with you.") Herein is revealed anew the pre- 
eminence of the bishop. "To show that he is the Vicar 
of Christ," says Innocent III., "the first time that he 
shows himself to the people he uses this form of saluta- 
tion : ' Pax vohis,' because this was the first word of Our 
Lord to His apostles on the day of His resurrection. 



Pontifical Mass, 75 

But after this he says: ' I)o77iinus voMsciun,^ with the 
priests, testifying by this that he is but one among 
them." (Inn. IIL,1. ii. c. 24.) 

Use of the Calotte,— ^Ilqh^ by a special indult, the 
bishop may wear the calotte in celebrating the public 
offices, he retains it during Mass to the Preface, except 
while the Gospel is chanted. He puts it on again as 
soon as he has drunk the precious blood, and retains it 
for the rest of the office. These customs revive among 
us the ancient discipline. The amice formerly was put 
upon the head in the shape of a veil falling upon the 
shoulders. At the Preface it was thrown back upon 
the neck and replaced on the head after the Com- 
munion. Useless to say that respect due to the blessed 
Eucharist has so regulated these customs. During the 
Gospel the men uncovered the head, to show that the 
preaching of the Gospel had made the veils of the old 
law fall away, 

TJie Blessing at the End of Mass. — This goes back to 
the primitive customs, for during a long time there 
Vfas no benediction at the end of Mass. When the 
custom of blessing was established, the privilege was 
reserved to bishops only. A simple priest was never 
known to bless the faithful at the end of Mass up to the 
eleventh century. Later, when the priest had shared 
the privilege of the bishop, a difference was made be- 
tween the ceremonial of their benediction. The priest 
blessed the people with the cross, the paten, or the 
chalice ; the bishop alone blessed with the hand, and 
his benediction was preceded, as to-day, by the versi- 
cles Sit nomen Domini and Adjutorium. This cere- 
monial has been preserved for the bishop ; as to the 



76 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

priest, he now blesses with the hand, and with the cere- 
monial already explained. 

TJie Last Gosjoel, — If the bishop begins it at the altar, 
and continues it as he goes to the place where he is re- 
clothed with his pontifical ornaments, it is because the 
recitation of this gospel was not a part of the liturgy. 
In the thirteenth century it was marked, in rare Missals, 
as an act of piety for the use of priests while taking off 
their sacerdotal vestments. 

Papal Benediction. — In virtue of an apostolic indult, 
the bishops may give the papal benediction at Easter 
and Pentecost, to which a plenary indulgence is at- 
tached. This benediction is called papal because it is 
given in the same form as that of the Pope. After the 
Mass is ended the bishop mounts his throne. A 
deacon reads in Latin and English the indult by virtue 
of which the prelate gives the papal benediction. The 
plenary indulgence given to the faithful who receive the 
benediction is also published. The prelate gives it 
standing, and, to add to the solemnity, the joyous sound 
of the bells mingles with the harmonious tones of the 
organ. 

CHAPTER VI.— MASS FOR THE DEAD. 

Omitted Prayers, — Of these is in the first place the 
psalm Judica me^ because of these words : ' ' Judge 
me, O Lord," and the others: ^' Why art thou sad, 
my soul ?" The soul for which we pray has already been 
judged at the secret tribunal of God, and why should 
we ask the cause of its sadness when perhaps it is 
exiled from Him Whom it loves ? 



Mass for the Dead. 77 

The Gloria Patri^ the Gloria in excelsis, the Alleluia, 
and the Ife, Missa est, are not heard in the Masses for 
the dead, because the souls in purgatory are not yet 
allowed to join in the canticles of the angels. 

JSig7i of the Co^oss at the Introit. — Instead of making 
it upon himself the priest makes the sign of the cross 
with his hand turned toward the Missal. Does he bless 
the altar ? No. Or the book ? No, again. Why, then, 
is this benediction ? The souls who have been recom- 
mended to him are in the mind and heart of the priest. 
His one desire is to comfort them, and to show this de- 
sire earnestly ; as soon as he goes up to the altar he 
applies to them the blessed fruits of the cross ; he knows 
how to despoil himself generously in their favor. 

Kissing the Book. — At the end of the Gospel the book 
does not receive the usual kiss, to show that the souls 
of the dead have not yet received the ineffable kiss of 
God, or, again, because having died in the sign of faith 
there is no need for them to profess their belief in the 
Gospel. This same reason is the cause of the omission 
of the Creed from Masses for the dead. 

The Offering. — At the Offertory the faithful in former 
times made an offering which varied in different places; 
it was usually bread and wine, and a candle. An inci- 
dent related in the life of St. Peter of Tarantaise will 
furnish us with an explanation of this offering. 

A miner of Pinsot, in the mountains of Allevard, in 
Dauphiny, was surprised by a landslide, and buried 
alive. Every Saturday his wife had the holy sacrifice 
offered for Jiim, and, according to the custom, presented 
at the Offertory bread, wine, and a candle. One day 
when the laborers were working in the neighborhood of 



78 The Sax^rifice of the Mass. 

the scene of the fatal event, what was their surprise to 
see through the cracks in the rocks a pale light. They 
wished to discover the cause of the phenomenon ; pick- 
axes soon opened for them a passage to a little habita- 
tion. Here a man was enclosed, full of strength and 
life : it was their unfortunate companion so long mourned 
as dead. He told them that by a special protection of 
God the earth in giving way had formed this little 
retreat, and that each Saturday an angel had brought 
him bread, with a vase filled with wine, to nourish 
him, and a taper to give him light ; thanks to this aid 
he awaited the hour of deliverance. 

Let us make our offering with faith. An angel will 
descend to that soul so dear to our heart ; it thirsts for 
God, and a celestial and mysterious nourishment will be 
given to it ; it sighs after the fountain of living water, 
and a refreshing stream will quench its thirst, and in 
its profound darkness a ray of eternal light will come to 
console it. 

The Water Poured into the Chalice. — At the Offer- 
tory, again, the priest does not bless the water poured 
into the chalice. AYater, a symbol of Christians in the 
sacrifice of our altars, represents in Masses for the 
dead more especially the souls in purgatory, and the 
Church in not blessing the water wishes to show that 
she has no jurisdiction over these souls. 

Omission of the Be7iediction. — The beginning of the 
Mass was marked by an act of charity on the part of the 
priest. In not making upon himself the sign of the 
cross at the Introit he is, so to speak, despoileid of 
graces, the divine fruits of the cross, in favor of the 
souls in purgatory. The end of the Mass shows us the 



Mass for the Dead. 79 

same spirit of charity on the part of the faithful. There 
is no benediction ; those present seem to forget them- 
selves and to only think of those who suffer, of the 
poor exiles from heaven for whom are all the merits, all 
the blessings, all the fruits, of the sacrifice. This is 
truly charity such as the Master taught : devotion and 
self-sacrifice for others, in a word, forgetfulness of self. 
Already, under the influence of these charitable senti- 
ments, the priest, in the name of the faithful, has re- 
placed the words: ' ' Miserere nobis " (' ' Have mercy upon 
us"), at the Agnus Dei ^ by these others: ''''Dona eis 
requiem " ("Give them rest "). In Masses for the dead 
it is always tliem^ and never us. May these words 
always call forth this spirit. 

Absolution. — The Mass ended, absolution is given. An 
acolyte carries to the head of the coffin a cross, the 
pledge of our immortal hopes. Did not the divine One 
Who rose again say: " death, I will be thy death" ? 
(Osee xiii. 14.) Has not St. Paul called Him "the 
first-fruits of them that slept " ? Thanks to Jesus Christ, 
dead upon the cross, He will one day raise up him for 
whom you weep. Through your tears you have seen 
around the coffin the light of candles ; your sorrow, if it 
be Christian, will find in this light consolation and 
hope. It is a symbol of the faith of the dead, and did 
not Our Lord say: " He who belie veth in Me shall have 
©ternallife"? (St. John vi. 47.) This light is also a 
symbol of the glory which the saints enjoy in the bosom 
of God : ''Then shall the just shine as the sun in the 
kingdom of their Father." (St. Matt. xiii. 43.) 

At the Absolution, during the Lord's Prayer, the holy 
water and the incense are poured forth upon the coffin 



80 • . The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

as a symbol of the effects of prayer for the dead. * ' May 
our prayer," the Church seems to say, " rise as the per- 
fume of incense even to Thy throne, Lord, and ap- 
pease Thy just wrath. May it call down upon this poor 
soul the blessed dew of Thy mercy." 



CHAPTER YII.— HOLY WATER, BLESSED BREAD, 
AND THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 

1. HOLY WATER. 

Its Origin. — In front of the primitive churches, in 
the midst of an open enclosure, was a fountain for the 
use of the faithful for washing the face and hands. 
This was a pious testimony of respect for the Holy 
Eucharist, which the Christians took in the right hand 
crossed upon the left, to administer to themselves. The 
washing of the face was to the same end, for the com- 
municant, before nourishing himself with the conse- 
crated bread, kissed it respectfully, then raised it to his 
forehead and his eyes. The holiness of the sacrament 
demanded this preparatory purification. Eusebius, 
speaking of these fountains, calls them ^ * symbols of the 
holy expiation"; his language clearly shows that the 
Church had attached a symbolic thought to the use of 
these ablutions. The exterior purification could only be 
an image of the purification of the soul. 

Every Sunday before Mass they went solemnly to 
these fountains to bless the water. The suppression of 
the custom of receiving the Blessed Sacrament in the 
hand rendering the ablutions less necessary, the vases 
diminished in size, and became the holy- water basins 




Pyx. 

In whicli the Blei^sed 

Sacrament is carried to 

the sick. 




Case for Holding the Luna in 

THE Tabernacle. 

(The Luna Is the part of the Osten- 

soriiim in which the Sacred 

Host is placed.) 




Irons for Making 
Altar Breads. 




Burse for Pyx. 





Altar Bread 
Cutter. 



Box IN "WHICH Altar 
Breads are kept. 




OiLSTOCK. 

Vessel in which the 
Holy Oils are kept. 




OiLSTOCK 

for the Sacristy. 




Ablution Cup. 




Baptismal Shell. 



/ 



Communion Paten. 
Held under the chin as the 
communicant receives the 
Blessed Sacrament. 




Baptismal Case 

for the Holy Oils and 
the Salt. 



Holy Water, 81 

of the present time. The Church continues to bless the 
water ; by her prayers she gives it power to purify 
souls, but, at the same time, she makes it the memorial 
of our spiritual regeneration. 

The Aspersion. — The blessing given in Baptism might 
be forgotten; the Church wishes that every Sunday 
— the day commemorative of the institution of this 
sacrament — the aspersion of water shall be made upon 
the faithful before Mass, to recall to them that holy 
water in which they, Christ's little fishes, found their 
life. 

During this ceremony the thought of our Baptism 
should be present in our minds ; let us regret our lost 
innocence, lost, perhaps, long ago. And when we come 
to the holy place, in taking the water which the 
Church's pious intention has placed at the door, let us 
not forget that this sacrament has given us admittance 
to the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd. 

Use of the Blessed Water. — Holy water is placed at 
the entrance of our churches that our souls may be 
penetrated with a profound respect toward the God 
Whom we come to adore. To those who will listen holy 
water speaks thus : ' ' Before presenting yourselves be- 
fore the Lord purify yourselves of even venial faults ; 
His infinitely pure eyes cannot endure spot neither in 
the angels nor in His elect. If you would see Him with 
the eyes of faith through the veil of the sacrament, 
efface from your soul anything that can lessen its white- 
ness. If you would receive the caress of your God, 
wash your heart : ^ He that loveth cleanness of heart 
shall have the King for his friend' (Prov. xxii. 11.) 
Purify with holy water your hands from their evil 



82 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

works, your mind from its guilty thoughts, your heart 
from its irregular affections." 

But why ? To drive away the demon. He is to be 
found even at the foot of the altar, during prayer, after 
communion. Holy things are like rich treasures ; the 
latter attract thieves, the former demons. 
■ "Why, then, is holy water at the doors of our churches ? 
To prepare us for the eucharistic banquet. In the ages 
of ancient hospitality, when a stranger was received 
under the roof, before he was admitted to the intimacy 
of the hearth, and sat at the table, his feet were washed, 
to remove the dust of the road. Our Lord consecrated 
this custom before the last supper. If the stranger was 
a person of distinction, rich perfumes were mingled with 
the water of the ablutions. 

Strangers and travellers upon the earth : God gives 
us hospitality in His temple ; we come to rest there from 
the weariness of life ; there He breaks with us the bread 
of friendship. 

At the entrance of His palace He receives all as His 
guests ; He purifies us from the stains of the roadside 
with water in which He has put the strength of His 
blood. 

, In ancient times who was honored by his host as the 
Christian is by his God ? If we are to communicate, 
taking the holy water, let us say with St. Peter : '' O my 
God, wash me wholly : my eyes, which are to see Thee ; 
my tongue, which is to serve as Thy throne ; my heart, 
which in a moment will be Thy tabernacle." If we are 
not to communicate, let us humble ourselves for not 
accepting the invitation of Jesus Christ. 

God treats all His children as His guests at His 



. Blessed Bread. 83"^ 

heavenly banquet : His wish would be to see all re- 
united there each time that they assist at the divine 
mysteries. 

2. BLESSED BREAD. 

A Memorial of the Eucharist. — There was a time, in 
the dawn of Christianity, when the Eucharist was really 
''the daily bread." The happy witnesses of the holy 
mysteries all approached the sacred banquet ; in the 
days of persecution they carried the holy species into ■ 
their houses, to fortify themselves each morning. This - 
blossoming of Christian fervor lasted three centuries. 
But, jealous of the virtues blooming under the dew of 
the precious blood, the devil breathed upon souls the^ 
icy breath of tepidity. The guests at the sacred ban- 
quet grew less numerous day by day. To reanimate 
Christian fervor a council at Agde, in 506, made com- 
munion obligatory at Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas. 
This state of things lasted until 1215, when the general 
council of Lateran established the discipline followed in 
our day. 

From the beginning of these guilty desertions the 
Church, hoping to diminish their number, instituted a 
symbol which would at the same time express to her 
children the fervor of the first centuries,, and the de- 
sires of the Saviour and His chosen ones. 

She selected for this even the same material as that 
of the Eucharist, bread, and she called it eulogy^ that is 
to say, bread of benediction. The simplicity of the 
Middle Ages, marvellously interpreting the intention 
of the Church, called the blessed bread vicarius^ or 
that which took the place of the Eucharist. It was 



S4 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

really intended to replace the Eucharist in the case of 
those whom tepidity or indifference withdrew from holy 
communion. 

How many Christians on Sunday- in the presence of 
the Blessed Sacrament ought to reproach themselves 
i\ith sluggish tepidity ? This is not earthly bread, they 
can say to themselves, which Jesus Christ would like to 
give me, but the bread of angels ; not that bread which 
changes into the substance of man, but that which 
Kjhanges man even into the same substance as God. In 
my Father's house celestial dainties abound for those 
seated at the banquet of the Lamb, and I, like the 
prodigal, am dying for lack of nourishment. If you 
languish, my soul, if you painfully drag your feet 
through the hard road of duty, search no longer for the 
reason : you do not receive often enough the bread of 
the strong. 

A Symbol of Christian Charity. — The blessed bread, 
memorial of the Eucharist, is also the symbol of Chris- 
tian charity. 

The same bread distributed to all, eaten by all, is it 
not a striking expression of our brotherhood ? Nothing 
is sweeter to the soul than brotherhood. Twice God 
has willed to make all men brothers : in the cradle 
of the human race, in Adam, and in the cradle of 
Christianity, in Jesus Christ. His merciful providence 
wished to soften by the ties of blood and faith the sor- 
rows of exile. 

The spirit of hatred has sown discord in hearts made 
to love each other, and the Church tries on all occasions 
to recall to her children the great truth, too easily for- 
gotten, of our common origin and our common destiny. 



Blessed Bread, 85 

She gathers us all into one house, the rich and the poor, 
the servant and the master, to teach that we ought to 
form but one family. She puts upon the lips of all the 
same prayer : "Our Father, Who art in heaven/' Who 
can forget in saying it that the same Father takes care 
of all ? She distributes the same bread, like a mother 
sharing with all her children around her hearth. The 
Master often said : ' ' My commandment is that you love 
one another, as I have loved you," that is to say, as 
brothers, and each Sunday the Church repeats this 
teaching of love by the distribution of blessed bread. 

Christians should be one body, the mystical body of 
which Jesus Christ is the head ; now could we find a 
more expressive figure of the union of several things 
than in bread made of many grains of wheat united 
and blended together? '*For we being many, are one 
bread, one body, all that partake of one bread " (i. Cor. 
X. 17), says St. Paul, because we ought to be all united 
in Jesus Christ. No more of these distinctions of false 
pride between the fellow-citizen and the stranger, the 
master and the servant, the learned and the ignorant, 
the rich and the poor, but let us only recognize Chris- 
tians, the sole family of Jesus Christ, fed with one 
spiritual bread. 

Effects of Blessed Bread, — These are enumerated in 
the formula of benediction: "Grant, O Lord, that all 
those that eat of this bread may find there health for ^ 
body and soul, and a preservative against the assaults 
of enemies.*' God Himself has often been pleased to 
manifest the efficacy of this remedy, and St. Gregory 
^N'azianzen speaks of white bread marked with the sign 
of the cross, which it was customary to bless, and which . 



"86 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

miraculously gave his mother health. Only by think- 
ing that she had eaten this bread while she slept she 
was cured. [Or at. xix.) These are good reasons for 
our confidence as well as our respect ; we can apply to 
blessed bread what St. Augustine said of the salt dis- 
tributed to the faithful : " Although it is not the body 
of Jesus.Christ, it is nevertheless a holy thing, and more 
sacred than other food, for it is a sacrament, that is to 
say, the sign of a sacred thing." {De Peccat. Merit, et 
Remiss.) And, again, a council held at Nantes, toward 
the year 800, went so far as to warn the faithful to 
** take care not to allow a crumb of the blessed bread to 
fall to the floor." 

3. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 

'Bymlol of the Three Principal Mysteries. — The sign 
of the cross is filled with sacred associations ; like a 
golden vase, it pours ever the attentive soul a soothing 
and vivifying unction. That Christians do not oftener 
find either perfumes or strength in this sacred sign is 
because they do hot understand enough of its sublime 
leaching. 

In the first place, by its name as well as its form, the 
sign of the cross recalls the mystery of the redemption. 
We bring our hand to the forehead, to figure the head 
■of Jesus Christ crowned with thorns, to the breast, in 
remembrance of His side pierced by a lance, to the left 
side, and then to the right, and yet can forget those 
shoulders wounded by the cross, and those hands torn 
with nails ! 

The sign of the cross also recalls to Christians the 
two other great mysteries of the faith, the Blessed 



Tlie Sign of the Cross, 87 

Trinity and the Incarnation. While pronouncing the 
name of the Father, we raise our hand to the forehead; 
the forehead, seat of intelligence, principle and source 
of life, symbolizes God the Father, eternal principle 
of all life, human and divine, which, by the way of 
intelligence, begot the divine Word. The Word. of God 
was made flesh, descended, and annihilated Himself ; 
He descended from heaven into the womb of Mary, 
from the womb of Mary into the humiliations of the 
manger, from the humiliations of the manger into the 
labor of the workshop, from the labor of the work- 
shop into the ignominy of the passion, from the igno- 
miny of the passion into the silence of the tomb, from 
the silence of the tomb into the solitude of the taberna- 
cle. He descended to repair the revolt of the first man 
and of his posterity, for the madness of wishing to ele- 
vate one's self is the foundation of all going astray. 
The hand which descends from the head to the breast, 
while the lips pronounce the name of the Son, figures 
the profound abasement of the Incarnation. The Holy 
Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is 
the love of these divine persons; He is also the spirit 
of strength which the faithful receive on the day that 
they are enrolled in the army of Christ. These various' 
attributes are indicated by the transverse line which 
we make from the forehead to the breast, and which, 
touching the shoulders, seat of strength, passes over the 
heart, the throne of love. (Inn. III., ii. 43.) 

A Sign of Our Immolation. — Condemned as we are to 
suffering, as the guilty children of our Father, and the 
disciples of a crucified God, ''we are become as sheep 
appointed for sacrifice." 



88 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

The cross formed on us and by us is the sign of our 
immolation, the solemn profession of our obedience to 
the grand and universal law of suffering announced by 
Jesus Christ : ^' If any man will come after Me, let him 
deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow 
Me." (St. Luke ix. 23.) But to make this sacred sign 
upon flesh plunged in all the weakness of sensuality ; 
upon a brow which shelters nothing but thoughts of 
Yengeance, pride, and impurity ; upbn lips soiled by 
lying or obscene conversation ; upon a heart given over 
to criminal affections, what is this but a tremendous lie ? 
We profess that the sword of immolation has been girded 
on our entire being, the sword of chastity on our body, 
the sword of faith in our minds, the sword oi' restraint 
on our tongue, the sword of charity on our heart. Let 
each one answer the question : Is this always true ? 

Efficacy of the JSig?i of the Cross. — "The sign of the 
cross," says St. Augustine, " is to us a pledge of triumph ; 
it reduces to powerlessness all the attacks of helh That 
which Our Lord did while on earth by His bodily pres- 
ence He does to-day by the confident invocation of His 
name." (Serin, xix., de Sanctis.) 

And whence comes to the sign of the cross such 
"strength ? St. Ignatius, martyr, answers : *' This sign is 
like a trophy on the brow of the Christian ; a trophy 
which reminds the demon of his shameful defeat on 
Calvary, so that at the sight of it alone he trembles, 
and flies." 

The sign of the cross is not only a weapon : it is, 
above all, an excellent prayer. When we are signed with 
this sign of redemption, God sees us no longer as sin- 
ners, but as brothers of Jesus Christ ; it is no longer 



Processions. 80 

our crimes which strike His eye, but the wounds of His 
Son on the cross ; He forgets our iniquities, and re- 
members nothing but the merits of Jesus Christ. Tlie 
cross, then, prays for us, and the prayer is heard. *' Tlie 
voice is indeed the voice of Jacob," says the Lord, "the 
voice of the sinner, but the smell is the odor of the gar- 
ments 'of Esau. I see only the cross, I see but the 
blood, I see only the wounds of My beloved Son." He 
who kneels in the sacred tribunal of penance makes the 
sign of the cross. Short but sublime prayer ! Eloquent 
cry ! Lord, I am deserving of punishment, but oh, re- 
member Calvary ! 

And, again, what a sublime prayer before receiving 
communion ! He is there before us, the God of heaven; 
but an instant more and our hearts will possess Him.. 
The purest soul in this solemn moment is seized with 
fear, the throne of sanctity is necessary for the Holy of 
holies. The sign of the cross reassures you, calls down 
upon your soul the blessings which Our Lord has merited 
by His death. 

CHAPTEE yilL— PKOCESSIOXS. 

Image of Life. — Processions are a figure of our life 
here below. We but pass over the earth, " for we have 
not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come." 
(Heb. xiii. 14.) 

Now is not this religious march a figure of our poor 
life ? 

Each procession repeats to those who will hear the 
language of the liturgy : Life is a passage : it flows away 
as rapidly as the brook in the valley ; it flies like the 



90 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

cloud in the heavens ; it vanishes like the breath of a 
flower, fades like the smile of a child. 

In its course the procession advances by roads some- 
times stony, sometimes smooth ; here the sun's burning 
•i^ays beat down, a little further great trees throw upon 
us their refreshing shade. 

These are truly like the changes of life : pain is suc- 
ceeded by joy ; joy again by sorrow ; both are fleeting, 
for here everything passes away. 

The processions do not return by the same road : does 
man see again the years that are gone ? They have dis- 
appeared, the days of childhood, those of youth, and in 
their turn follows old age, and eternity. 

We all have issued forth from the bosom of God, as 
the brook from its source, the ray from the sun. God is 
our beginning ; He is also our end. Created for Him, 
our vocation is to go to Him ; come forth from His bosom, 
after our pilgrimage we should re-enter there. The 
church from which we go out and to which we return 
will remind us of our divine origin and our divine destiny. 

The recollection of our grandeur should not alone 
present itself to us. Humanity, in the person of Adam 
and Eve, was driven from the earthly paradise and con- 
demned to exile in this vale of tears ; and we ourselves 
have many times, like other prodigals, left our Father's 
house. In leaving the church we will be reminded of the 
punishment of our flrst parents, and perhaps reproach 
ourselves for our ingratitude toward God. 

Tlie Position of the Cross. — Who will be the guide of 
humanity in the darkness and dangers of its pilgrimage ? 
Jesus Christ, Whose glorious standard is carried at the 
head of the procession. 



Processions. 91 

We must follow after it if we would come to His 
kingdom. He wlio has always before him Jesus Christ 
crucified soon feels that in the shadow of the cross pains 
lose their bitterness and pleasures their seduction. The 
crucifix precedes us because Jesus Christ Himself has 
preceded us in the way of trial; His feet have been torn 
by the stones and the thorns, and He has left His blood 
on the sharp sides of the stones, on the piercing darts 
of the thorns ; it is a divine balm which will heal all our 
wounds. What does it matter by what road the Lord 
wills us to march ? Jesus has sanctified its pains in taking- 
them upon Himself. He, the man of all sorrows, has 
preceded us in all suffering. 

Order of the Procession. — Among the virtues there 
are two above all others recommended to us : humility 
and charity. 

The Church recalls their practice by the order fol- 
lowed in her processions. The most worthy come last, 
and the least Avorthy are at the head of the procession, 
according to the counsel of the Saviour : " And he that 
will be the first among you, let him be your servant.'^ 
(St. Matt. XX. 27.) This is the procession's lesson of 
humility. • 

The faithful who march two by two by this symbolic 
number figure the double charity recommended by Our 
Lord when He sent His disciples two by two to preach 
the Gospel. (St. Gregory, Homil.^ xvii.) 

The Church invites us to practise this virtue at the 
moment* when the procession is leaving the sanctuary. 
^'Do not forget," she says, "to walk in peace and har- 
mony " ('' Procedamiis in pace "). 

How maternal, too, is the care of the Church. She 



92 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

puts her little cliildren close to the cross, by the side of 
Him Who always kept His tenderest blessings, His 
sweetest caresses, for them. 

Tlie Sound of Bells. — During the procession the ring- 
ing of bells repels the assaults of the evil spirits. The 
bell is the sacred trumpet of the Church militant ; its 
peals remind us that life is the time of combat, and 
that *'the powers of the air" are our chief enemies. 
But what arms shall we use ? Prayer. This is why 
during the course of the procession the sacred chants 
arise ; we must oppose perpetual resistance to an enemy 
that never sleeps. " Watch, then, and pray," says the 
Church with Jesus Christ. '' We ought always to pray, 
and not to faint." (St. Luke xviii. 1.) 

Efficacy of Processions. — The common cause of our 
falls is forgetful ness of our destiny ; strangers and trav- 
ellers here below, we make of this earth a permanent 
dwelling-place. And when the Church wishes to call 
down upon her guilty children the pardon of heaven she 
commands processions, and God allows Himself to be 
disarmed. St. Anthony cites a memorable example of 
this. In the fourteenth century Europe, disturbed by 
the scourge of war, was ♦miraculously restored to peace 
after solemn processions. The same saint tells us that 
the blessed Mother of God appeared to a peasant and 
told him that her Son was very angry with the world 
because of its crimes. In lier merciful compassion for 
sinners she revealed to him this means as the best man- 
ner of appeasing the wrath of God. (iii. Pars. Hist.^e. iii.) 

If we desire that processions may be efficacious with 
God, let us bring to them the dispositions of which we 
have spoken. Let us regard ourselves as strangers here 



Churches. 93 

below ; nothing is ours, all belongs to God. As travel- 
lers, Tve are but passing over the earth ; as pilgrims, the 
end of our journey is heaven. And when, overcome by 
the heat and fatigue at the end of the procession, we 
find again the holy place of rest and refreshment, let us 
think how sweet it will be after the labors of this life 
are over to rest in eternal peace beneath the shadow of 
God. 

CHAPTER IX.— CHURCHES. ' ' 

Everything in the church speaks to the Christian's 
heart not only the ceremonies, but also the stones, the 
columns, the plan of the sacred edifice. It is really a 
catechism in stone, where the mysteries of our faith are 
carved. Many see but hieroglyphics which they do not 
understand, there where in olden days the little children 
learned the elements of religion. 

1. THE CATHOLIC TEMPLE A SYMBOL OF THE CHURCH. 

Form of a Ship. — In the ark which saved the human 
race from the deluge, in the bark from which Peter 
made the miraculous draught of fishes, all the fathers 
have seen a prophetic figure of the destiny of that new 
society founded by Jesus Christ. And in their writings 
nothing is more common than to find the Catholic 
Church represented under the symbol of a ship. " In 
the name ship,'''' says St. Augustine, ''we understand the 
Church ; she sails on the dangerous sea of the world, in 
the midst of tempests, in the midst of storms, and sur- 
rounded by monsters of all kinds. Christ is our pilot, 
the cross our rudder ; the ship has nothing to fear when 



94 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

she considers, not the waves upon which she makes her 
way, but the pilot Who guides her."' {In Ps. ciii., 8erm, 
iv.) 

The first Cliristians had an especial affection for this 
symbol, and reproduced it upon the lamps of the cata- 
combs and the Christian burial-places. Nothing, however, 
better expressed this pious allegory than the churches. 
In general they had the form of a ship, a form] pre- 
served to our own day. The ornamented facade of the 
edifice represented the prow ; the body of the building 
bore the name of nave, or ship (from Latin navis, a 
ship); the roof, with its sharply joined centre, gives us 
the form of a reversed ship. 

The Mam Door. — As it developed, Christian archi- 
tecture retraced on the doors, the windows, and on the 
smallest details of ornamentation the history of the 
spouse of Jesus Christ. The door of the Church is Jesus 
Christ, as He Himself said. It is to figure His two 
natures that Christian art has ordinarily divided the 
main door in two parts, while the single arch that en- 
closes them recalls that the two natures of Oar Lord are 
united in one person. If this symbol is not found in the 
main door it is reproduced in the window of the fagade. 
The rosewindow above the door shines like a crown on 
the brow of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 

Wmdows. — Who has defended the Church against 
error, which, veiled under a thousand forms, has cease- 
lessly striven to change the precious deposit confided to 
her ? In. the mystical body of Jesus Christ, what is the 
eye that sees and directs her ? Let us look up. "In the 
shining windows, which shelter us from storms and shed 
upon us a soft light, we see figured the doctors and apos- 



Churches. 95 

ties who oppose themselves to the storms of heresy, 
and pour upon the Church the light of true teaching." 
(Honorius of Autuu.) 

Grimacing Figures. — Enemies have never been want- 
ing to the Church, enemies within and without ; over all 
has she gloriously triumphed. The figures of men or 
animals crushed beneath the weight of the edifice pro- 
claim the victory of the Church over the enemies within 
her bosom. Those outside, who constantly gnaw around 
her sheepfold, are represented by those other hideous 
and grimacing figures placed on the walls or the but- 
tresses. 

The Blessed Trinity. — In the construction of our 
churches we find also the mystery of the Holy Trinity. 
The number three appears in all parts : the nave, the 
choir, and the sanctuary, in the length of the building ; 
the three naves, in its width ; the columns, the gallery, 
and the windows, in its height. If we take it in detail, 
. here are three arches, here three windows ; again, three 
chapels each one lighted by three openings, or even the 
altar, with its three steps. 

Useless to pause longer over a symbolism which the 
least attentive observer cannot fail to mark. But why 
the place of honor given to the mysterious number in our 
temples ? It is the seal of the works of God ; the entire 
creation boars its imprint. The universe appears* to us 
with its three distinct parts, heaven, earth, and sea. Time 
is divided into past, present, and future. Each day com- 
prises invariably three portions, morning, noon, and 
night. Matter has its three dimensions, length, breadth, 
and hdght. Nature has three kingdoms, animal, vege- 
table, and mineral. The history of man comprises three 



■^--: 



96 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

acts, to be born, to live, and to die. The human soul has 
its trinity, which is summed up in three words : mind, 
understanding, love. 

Against this dogma of the Trinity, written in shining 
characters upon creation, and later revealed by God to 
His Church, hell has spent its rage. The Church has 
called forth all her energies to defend it, by the pen of 
her doctors, the voice of her councils, and even by the 
architecture of her temples. The ternary, or number 
three, in ecclesiastical architecture is, then, a chant of 
love, a hymn of victory; this chant has been sung by man, 
inert matter, and the whole of creation since its first day. 
The Church repeats it in her symbolism and in her lit- 
urgy ; under her inspiration the stones in their turn 
have spoken to invite the gratitude of man, created in 
the image of the Blessed Trinity, and in its name regen- 
erated in the waters of Baptism. 

The Enclosure of the Sanctuary, — The Church is 
made up of pastors and the faithful. The divine call, a 
life more holy than the ordinary, separates the guides of 
the flock from the sheep themselves. A line of demarca- 
tion has always, even in the catacombs, recalled to the 
clergy their withdrawal from the world, and to the 
people the respect due the ministers of God. St. Gregory 
of Nazianzen, speaking of the enclosure which sepa- 
rates the nave from the choir, says that "it stands be- 
tween two worlds, one immovable, and the other sub- 
ject to changes ; the first that of immortals, the second 
that of mortals." 



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Churches, 97 



2. THE CATHOLIC TEMPLE A SYMBOL OF THE CROSS. 

Transepts, Apse, and Side Door, — Our fathers added 
another symbolism to that of which we have just spoken, 
and, while preserving the form of the ship, the churches 
took the form of a cross. How was this pious thought 
realized ? The nave and the transverse prolongations, 
called transepts, represent the cross of the Saviour, 
that is to say, His body and extended arms, while the 
high altar by its position figures the sacred head of 
Jesus Christ. For this reason that part of the sanctuary 
where it stands, called the apse in English, is in French 
styled the elievet^ or head of the church, the mystical 
head upon which the Crucified has laid His chief crown. 
For this head has its crown ; it is formed of the chapels 
which in many churches surround the high altar. To 
complete this symbolism we love to think of the side 
door as the wound in Our Lord's side. 

Columns. — In some churches the columns are not 
placed opposite each other. Is this apparent fault in 
harmony the result of blind ignorance ? This would be 
a ridiculous supposition. By this apparent disorder the 
vivid faith of the Middle Ages wished to express that 
text of Scriptures applied to Our Saviour on the cross : 
*'A11 My bones have been displaced." 

The Incline of the JS'ave. — The Gospel shows us Mary 
standing beneath the cross, and Jesus Christ incline 
ing His head to breathe His last sigh. These two mov- 
ing scenes have found their place in Christian architect- 
ure. The chapel of Mary was ordinarily placed at the 
right of the nave, which in many churches was decidedly 
inclined toward it. When we enter one of these 



98 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

churches, if we direct our steps toward the chapel of 
the Blessed Virgin, at the sight of the nave leaning to- 
ward the side of our mother, let us recall this touching 
symbolism. It is Mary beneath the cross ; she seems to 
sustain the head of her Son, which leans toward her as if 
seeking a support when all His friends have abandoned 
Him ; or it is Jesus bending toward His Mother and say- 
ing to us : ^' She is thine too : Ecce mater tiia:' 

3. THE BELLS. 

The Spire. — Christianity alone shows us in its tem- 
ples that elevation, that aspiration, which, according to 
a graceful thought, is impatience of the earth, and ardor 
for heaven. {Etudes Pliilos.^ t. iii., Bu Ciilte.) The 
ancient religions in their sacred edifices knew but the 
monotonous ceilings, straight lines and horizontal. 
This architecture was replaced by Christian architecture ; 
the vault, the semicircle, the spherical and pointed arch, 
appeared by turns as the richest expression of the 
destiny of regenerated man ; for, to translate them, it 
was man raising his eyes toward a heaven reconquered 
by the sufferings of a God. The towers, the arches, the 
spires of churches force us to detach our eyes from 
earth and look to a better world. It is the liturgic 
chant sung in stone : '' Sursum corda " ("Lift up your 

hearts")- 

Lift up your hearts and your hopes, above all the 
belfry spire repeats to you. "Its silent finger," says a 
German poet, " shows us heaven." 

It shows it to the poor, to the laborers who painfully 
gain their daily bread, to the numerous victims of per- 
secution, of calumny, to the ill and afflicted, and to all 



Churches, 99 

it seems to say: "Patience, courage, there above is 
your reward." 

Bells. — Tradition is unanimous on their symbolism. 
St. Hugh of Autun says that '^ bells, like the silver trum- 
pets of the old law, signify the ministers of the Gospel 
preaching." And Honorius of Autun adds: "The 
sound of bells figures the preaching of them whose 
voices have echoed through all the earth. The towers 
where they are hung represent the two laws, and in 
their height between heaven and earth they announce 
the kingdom of God." {Gemm,, i. 142.) 

The symbolism of the sound of bells has fixed that of 
the three peals which announce and precede the public 
offices. The first, softer than the others, represents the 
old law, revealed only to the Jews ; the second, more 
solemn, marks the loud preaching of the Gospel ; the 
third, the loudest of all, expresses the confusion of the 
end of the w^orld. 

Cock on the Belfry. — St. Clement {Epist. to Cor, 
xxxix. 2), and several doctors with him, liave consid- 
ered the return of the sun to the horizon as an image of 
the resurrection of our bodies. By a natural connection 
of ideas the first Christians loved to find in the crow- 
ing of the cock the symbol of that powerful voice which 
shall give to all the generations plunged in the sleep of 
death the signal of the great awaking. The poet Pru- 
dentius expressly says that the voice of the cock, which 
calls the other birds from their slumbers, ' ' is the figure 
of our Judge." {Cathern.^ i. 16.) The field of rest, 
placed beside the church, completes the symbol. The 
cock has been chosen also as the symbol of vigilance. 
"Placed on the summit of the church," says the i?(2- 



100 The Sacrifice of the Mass. 

tional^ it represents the pastors, for the cock watches 
during the profoundest night, his crow marks the divi- 
sion of the hours, he w^akes those that sleep, and an- 
nounces the approach of day." (L. i. ch. iv.) Before 
the use of bells Pope G-regory wrote thus: " The cock 
is the figure of the preachers, who in the midst of the 
darkness of this life announce the true dawn of the 
great day." {Moral. ^ xxxi. 3.) 



CHAPTER I.— THE DIVINE OFFICE. 

1. ORIGIN AND DIVISION. 

The Church has placed a feast at each one of the 
periods of the year consecrated by an important act in 
the life of Our Saviour. 

But this is not enough for her love and gratitude. 
Each hour of the day or night marked by an event in 
the life or passion of Jesus Christ sees a public service 
established to preserve its memory among men. 

This prayer bore the name of the Divine Office, or 
the Canonical Hours, so called because the Canons 
regulated their disposal by hours, and they were divided 
into seven parts : Matins and Lauds, Prime, Tierce, 
Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline. 

The night, illumined by the stars of Bethlehem, also 
saw the sorrows of the agony ; the first rays of day 
were the joyous witnesses of the resurrection : Matins, 
sung in the silence of the night, and Lauds, at the 
dawn, honor these different mysteries. 

Toward the first 'hour of the day Our Lord appeared 
to Magdalen at the sepulchre, and to the apostles on the 
seashore : Prime is the memorial of these apparitions 
of the risen Saviour. 

At the third hour, toward the ninth hour of the morn- 

101 



102 Vespers. 

ing, took place the scourging, the crowniDg with thorns, 
and the condemnation of Our Lord. At this hour, also, 
on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apos- 
tles. All these events occupy the thoughts of the Church 
at Tierce. 

At the sixth hour, toward midday, laden w^ith His 
cross. Our Lord went up to Calvary. Over His bloody 
footsteps the Church leads us, and at Sext makes us 
assist at the sorrow^ful scene of the crucifixion. 

At the ninth hour, three hours after midday, the sun 
w^as darkened, the earth trembled, the veil of the temple 
was rent in twain, the rocks were broken. The office 
of None calls us to w^eep at the sight of this aw'ful 
drama. 

In the evening Our Lord received in His side a new 
w^ound. Taken down from the cross by Joseph of 
Arimathea's anxious care, He was laid in His Mother's 
arms, embalmed, and buried in the sepulchre. The 
offices of Vespers and Compline honor these last mys- 
teries of the suffering life. 

2. ASSISTANCE AT THE DIVINE OFFICE. 

For a long time the faithful assisted at the different 
offices of the day and night. Following the counsels of 
St. Jerome, the pious Eustachia interrupted her slumber 
two or three times to chant the hymns and psalms — a 
devout practice then well know-n to Christian virgins. 
(Epist. xxii.) The people themselves were not strangers 
to it. 

St. John Chrysostom, raised to the see of Constanti- 
nople, felt keen grief that the churches w^ere deserted 
during the public offices. He earnestly exhorted his fliock 



The Buine Office, 103 

to be assiduous in attending the offices of the night; obedi- 
ent to the voice of their bishop, the people pressed in 
crowds to the doors of the churches. (So207n., 1. viii. c. 7.) 

These different passages, and the testinaony of the 
ecclesiastical writers, prove to us that raen went to the 
offices of the night, while women prayed in their homes. 

Attendance at the divine office was not obligatory ex- 
cept on Sunday. The celebration of the Lord's day 
began for the Christians of tlie first centuries Saturday 
evening, and ended the next day in the evening. (St. 
Augustine, Ajypencl. 280.) They united in the psalmody 
of the first Vespers, and again in that of Sunday night. 
In the morning they assisted at the holy sacrifice. 
They went back to the church in the evenins, to end 
the day with sacred psalms. This was the constant 
practice of the Christians during several centuries. 

A great chilling of the primitive fervor led to modifi- 
cations in the discipline of the Church. Of the divine 
office which our fathers cared for so much, the majority 
of the faithful to-day know only Vespers. And even 
Vespers themselves, are they not often abandoned ? 

Persons who make pretensions to a certain piety con- 
secrate the holy hour of the evening office to walking or 
visiting, God will surely have blessed my intentions 
if the reading of the following pages throws into these 
souls a ray of that light which enlightens and inflames, 
makes us know- and love. 

3. VESTMENTS OF THE CELEBRANT OF THE OFFICE. 

The Surplice, — As its name indicates, superpelliciitm, 
that is to say, the vestment above the fur garments, of 
pelisses, this white garment formerly w^as worn over the 



104 Vespers. 

tunics trimmed with fur in which the priests were clad 
in winter. The Church consecrated this custom in her 
liturgy the more readily that she saw in it a pious allu- 
sion to the story in Genesis of the lot of our first parents. 
Innocence and justice had been their first garment; after 
the fall they were obliged to ask the animals for their 
fur to cover them. The Holy Book says that ' ' the Lord 
God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins, and 
clothed them." (Gen. iii. 21.) Jesus Christ came to give 
back to guilty man the robe of his first innocence, the 
white robe represented by the surplice. Old customs are 
still existing in the Church. Those of her ministers 
whom she has raised to a certain ecclesiastical dignity 
wear furs on their camail. What a reminder put before 
our eyes and theirs ! 

The vestment of the earthly and the sinner ; the vest- 
ment of the heavenly Adam, the liberator; the fault and 
its punishment; the redemption and its fruits. The 
white color of the vestment comprises the richest sym- 
bolism, and piety can but gain in knowing it. In the 
first place it is the symbol of innocence. Among the 
people of antiquity it was a universal custom to blacken 
the faces of the guilty, and then show them to the multi 
tude. In the Scriptures, on the inspired pen of the 
prophets, the Ethiopian, burned and blackened by the 
sun of his deserts, is the image of the sinner plunged in 
crime (Amos ix. 7), and, on the contrary, the pure soul 
is compared to the whiteness of the lily or the dove. 
The whiteness of the surplice represents, then, the inno- 
cence of Him Who holds among us the place of the Saint 
of saints. White is also the symbol of liberation and of 
liberty. History teaches us that on the day of his liber- 



The Divine Office, 105 

ation the slave was clothed with a white robe. Now the 
priest also is a freedman. At the last supper, in institut- 
ing the Holy Eucharist, Jesus Christ worked this prodigy 
of mercy in favor of His ministers. He freed them from 
the slavery of the devil, from the servitude of the flesh 
and the world, by these solemn words: ^' I will not now 
call you servants, for the servant knoweth not what his 
lord doth. But I have called you friends, because all 
things whatsoever I have heard of My Father, I have 
made known to you." (St. John xv. 15.) 

The white vestment worn by the priest in the exercise 
of his sacred functions will recall this glorious emanci- 
pation ; it will appear to us as the distinctive sign which 
separates the priest from the faithful. And this is not 
all. *' Has not Jesus Christ," says a great doctor, " also 
confided to the priest the power to liberate, in his turn, 
his brethren? Great and sublime privilege given to the 
priesthood ! For he who is invested with this dignity is 
not only a freedman of God, but more than that, he 
possesses the right to free others, whether by Baptism 
or by sacramental absolution." (Tert., Advers. Marcion,) 

In the priest who comes clothed in white to the holy 
tribunal, and to the baptismal font, let us recognize him 
to whom Jesus Christ said : *' Amen I say to you, what- 
soever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in 
heaven, and whatsoever you loose upon earth, shall be 
loosed also in heaven." (St. Matt, xviii. 18.) 

White is also a symbol of peace. The ancient authors 
tell us that peace was asked or announced by hoisting a 
white flag, or by sending to the enemy a bearer of the 
flag of truce clad in white. 

On the day of the resurrection, the angel at the tomb 



iOC Vespei's. 

of Our Lord wore a white robe, symbol of the peace 
Arhich Jesus Christ had merited for us by His death, and 
the happy tidings of which He was soon to carry to His 
disciples assembled in the chamber of the last supper. 
When the ^Driest announces the divine word, when he 
f)l esses, when he presents himself before God bearing the 
Mipplications of his people, he is always clothed in white, 
yike an angel or a messenger of peace. He has the 
formula of this peace constantly on his lips : Dominus 
vcMscum — "The Lord be with you"; he has it still 
more in his heart. It is very fitting that he should 
wear before the eyes of the people this symbolic livery. 

For these various reasons white always predominates 
in the vestments of the priest. If they are black, the 
cross, the white fringe, the amice, and the alb preserve 
in the whole of the priestly costume the rich meanings 
of which we have just spoken. 

The material of the surplice is linen. "Woollen and 
silk," say the liturgists, "can be changed, and receive 
another shade, but linen loves simplicity, and would not 
know how to lend itself to the alteration of its color; 
this is why the doctors of the Church consider it the 
figure of a simple and candid soul, the enemy of lying. 
Linen also improves in the tests to which it is subjected, 
like true sanctity purified by sorrow and perfected by 
adversity." {Panopl. Sacerd. 1. ii. c. 7.) 

Admirable symbol of the priestly virtue ! We should 
join to the patience of the lamb the simplicity of the 
dove. 

TJie Rochet. — This is distinguished from the surplice 
by the narrow sleeves. It is the insignia of episcopal 
jurisdiction. The bishops-elect receive it from the 



The Divine Office. 107 

hands of the Pope, if they are in Eome. Above the 
rochet they wear the chimere. These two insignia in- 
dicate that he who is thus clad exercises the principal 
jurisdiction in that place. This is why the bishops out- 
side their dioceses cover the rochet either with a sur- 
plice or a short, small sleeveless mantle, called mantelet. 
Only the Pope may wear the rochet everywhere un- 
covered. By a concession, the members of the chapter, 
the bishop's senate, wear this badge also. 

Cope. — In the first centuries, the clergy wore in the 
processions of winter, or when it rained, a long mantle 
called pluvial. The hood with which it was ornamented 
gave it later the name of cope. The custom of wearing 
it in church during the offices and benediction was 
introduced by degrees. The cope has not remained 
without its symbolic meaning. We have seen that the 
fur on the camail represents the garments of fallen 
man, while the linen of the surplice is the figure of the 
white robe of innocence washed in the blood and tears 
of Jesus Christ. The cope, splendid in gold and precious 
stones, is the symbol of that other vestment which will 
be given to the elect in heaven, the mantle of a glorious 
immortality. Do we desire to receive this one day from 
the hands of Jesus Christ ? Let us clothe ourselves here 
below in the white robe of the pure in heart. 

4. THE CHANT. 

If we. thoroughly understood the origin of the liturgic 
chant, th6 heart, mind, and voice would unite in a con- 
cert of harmony to praise the Most High. 

The Language of Heaven. — In the vision of Isaias, 
Jehovah showed Himself to the prophet seated upon a 



108 Vespers, 

raised and shining throne, around which the seraphim 
repeated the hymn of eternity : '* Holy, holy, holy, Lord 
God of hosts." (Is. vi. 3.) We see that mention is 
already made of chants and choruses. St. Paul is 
ravished to the third heaven; while splendors inconceiva- 
ble to the eye of man filled his gaze, unspeakable har- 
mony made his heart throb. To express the feelings 
that filled his soul, he could only say that the ear of 
man hath not heard anything comparable to the chants 
of the saints and angels, (i. Corinth, ii. 9.) 

Is another witness necessary ? St. John saw in heaven, 
before the throne of the Lamb, twenty-four ancients with 
musical instruments, while thousands of virgins made 
ravishing harmony. (Apoc. v. 8; xiv. 3.) 

This language of heaven will one day be our own, for 
the divine art of chanting will never perish. One day 
the world will see the ruins piled up by the angel of 
wrath at the end of time; temples and palaces, paintings 
and statues, as well as the cabin of the herdsman and 
the forest oak, will be the prey of the flames. The valley 
of tears will make way for a new world; then there will 
be no more painting, no more architecture, no more 
eloquence, but forever there will be music — chanting will 
last for eternity. Who can say what this harmony will 
be? 

While a monk was at prayer one day, he heard the 
voice of a bird. Its sweet notes had an unknown charm. 
The bird hopped from branch to branch, from tree to 
tree, losing itself in the forest. The monk, drawn by 
a secret force, rose up to follow it. For a long time 
he went on after the bird, and- one day he stopped. 
The echoes no longer gave back the beautiful notes; 



• The Divine Office, 109 

God's little singer had disappeared. Sadly the monk 
turned to go back to the monastery, which he reached 
only after long wandering. All had changed since his 
departure: it was not the same brother porter who 
opened the door to him; another superior was at the 
head of the community; all whom he knew slept under 
the humble cross in the cemetery. The pious legend adds 
that a hundred years had sped away since he had gone 
forth, but, thanks to the beautiful song of the bird, they 
had seemed as fleeting as a second. For a hundred 
years one single voice had charmed his ear so that he 
had never wearied in listening to it. Under the veil of 
this charming allegory we see what the chants of heaven 
will be to the blessed. 

While the sacred chants fill the temple, let us think of 
heaven. 

It is said that when the soldiers of the French army 
heard in the mountains of Lebanon the sound of distant 
bells, they could not restrain their tears. It recalled to 
them their distant country, their first communion, their 
parents sleeping in the cemetery; to them it was the 
voice of their land. For us the chant will always be the 
voice of heaven. 

Chant of the Psalms. — Even in its manner of exe- 
cution, the liturgic chant recalls heaven. Ecclesiasti- 
cal history teaches us that formerly the people and 
the clergy united in singing the psalms together. In 
some churches one sang alone, while all present lis- 
tened in silence, uniting themselves interiorly with him. 
But one day St. Ignatius, the disciple of St. John and 
bishop of Antioch, like his master, saw in a vision the 
heavenly Jerusalem. While its glories were unrolled 



110 Vespers. 

before his wondering eyes, he heard the blessed singing 
alternately and in chorus the praises of God. Awak- 
ening from his ecstasy, he desired to imitate upon earth 
the melodies of heaven, and the custom of chanting the 
psalms in chorus spread from the Church at Antioch 
throughout the entire East. 

Chant of the Anthems. — In his beautiful Treatise on 
the Celestial Hierarchy., St. Denis shows us the elect 
sometimes chanting in choir, sometimes uniting their 
voices to praise God together. 

The Church on earth has rendered the sacred chants 
on the model of her heavenly sister. After having 
recited alternately a voice of a psalm, she unites all the 
voices to sing the anthems. ' ' Yes, " let us say with St. 
John Chrysostom, ''there is an admirable harmony be- 
tween the chant of the Church and that of heaven; it is 
the same praise, the same joy." Such is the liturgic 
chant, the language of heaven, which St. Augustine 
could not hear without shedding tears. His emotion 
should be less surprising than our insensibility. "The 
sacred psalmody," says St. Justin, " excites in the heart 
the holiest and the most ardent desires; it lessens carnal 
affections ; drives away evil thoughts. It is to the soul 
like a stream which brings to it divine fruits. It clothes 
the wrestler with virtue, generosity, strength, and con- 
stancy. It is a balm for pious souls in all the sorrows of 
this life." (Quaest. cvii. Ad Orthod.) 



Vespers. Ill 



CHAPTER II.— VESPERS. 

1. MYSTERIES OF THIS OFFICE. 

If the night was illumined by the rays of Bethlehem, 
the dawn by the glories of the empty sepulchre, noon 
by the splendors of the Ascension, evening, with its 
sorrows, has also its light, splendors and glories. 

It was in the world's evening that Our Lord came to 
bring us salvation. " The people," say the holy doctors, 
' ' were plunged in the darkness of paganism. The shades 
of evening stretched themselves everywhere; it was the 
fulness of time and the end of days, the old age of the 
world, and its last age, as the prophets have sung." 
(Orig., Horn. 7. in Exod. ; St. Aug., Serm. Ixxv. de 
Temp.) At Vespers the object of the Church's praise is 
** the Word made flesh, and dwelling among us." That 
beautiful canticle of the Incarnation, the Magnificat, each 
day carries to God the tribute of her gratitude and love. 

It was evening when Our Lord instituted the Eucharist. 
Not satisfied to clothe Himself with our nature, His love 
led Him to unite Himself to each one of us in that adora- 
ble sacrament, so well named "the extension of the 
Incarnation." Then was consummated the union of the 
Spouse with His bride, of Christ with the Church, the 
soul with God. 

The Church, not kno\ying how to fittingly celebrate 
this blessing, puts on the lips of her children the canticle 
In Exita Israel^ said by the Jews at the celebration of 
the Passover, and which Our Lord Himself said after 
the last supper. It was evening when Jesus Christ 
received the great wound in His heart, become the fifth 



112 Vespers. 

of the wounds venerated by the Church; in the evening 
He was taken down from the cross, and given back to 
His Mother. Around that afflicted Mother the angels 
united to console her sorrow. The Church invites us 
to join their ranks, and to come to weep on Calvary, at 
the foot of the cross. Go then, O my soul, during that 
office, to the mountain of myrrh, as the prophet calls it ; 
there is myrrh in abundance; on the cross, around the 
cross, at the foot of the cross; everywhere sorrow, suf- 
fering, and anguish. 

With the Spouse of the Canticles, let us make a mys- 
tical bouquet of all these bitter flowers; the bad odor of 
sin will be driven away by its perfume; your wounds 
will be healed by contact with this blessed balm. Of all 
th.ese mysteries we will treat most particularly those of 
Jesus on the cross. The considerations which flow from 
them always find easy access to our minds, and the 
heart which loves cannot cease to think of Jesus, and 
of Jesus crucified. 

2. METHOD OF ASSISTING PIOUSLY AT VESPERS. 

It is the hour when Our Lord is dead for my salvation; 
around His blessed cross the Church assembles her chil- 
dren to repeat with them the canticles of gratitude: this 
thought alone should unite all the Christian family in 
the holy place for the evening office. 

How many men, how many women even, remain deaf 
to the call of grace and the invitation of the Church ! 
While Jesns Christ, on His new Calvary, sees around 
Him but a small number of faithful disciples, the public 
promenades, the pleasure-places are filled with a merry 
crowd. 




y 
O 




Vespers' 113 

For us, more docile, when the bell announces the 
office of praise, let us imagine we hear the voices of 
angels who chant in heaven : '* Christ is fastened to the 
cross, pierced by five wounds; come and adore Him to- 
gether." Vespers are composed of five psalms, in 
memory of Our Saviour's wounds. To sing them we 
should place ourselves in thought at the foot of the cross; 
our heart will find Mary there, with the beloved disciple, 
and the holy women. 

We will recite the first psalm in the wound of the 
right foot of Jesus Christ ; the second in the wound of 
the left foot ; the third and fourth in the wounds of the 
right and left hands ; the fifth in that of the side. We 
read in the life of St. Francis Xavier an incident that 
shows us that we should love this practice. During a 
frightful tempest the vessel on which he was sailing 
was about to be submerged. Sailors, soldiers, and pas- 
sengers, crowding together in confusipn, waited but for 
death. Then St. Francis, mounting the deck, raised 
his eyes and hands to heaven. "Jesus," he cried, 
" Jesus, love of my soul, help us. I ask Thee by the 
five wounds which Thou hast received for us on the 
cross." And instantly the vessel, which already was 
sinking; rose up of itself, and gained the top of the 
waves. Our soul is perhaps like this ship ; the tempest 
roars in heavens black with clouds; the weaves of pas- 
sion threaten to engulf it. Let us fly to the five wounds 
of Our Saviour ; calm will reign at once in our soul. 

Th^ presence of angels will also arouse our fervor. 
"At the signal for the divine office," says St. Bernard, 
"a multitude of cherubim and archangels descend to 
our temples. They hasten eagerly to join us ; they 



114 Vespers, 

mingle in our ranks to praise God with us, and animate 
our chants by inspiring us with their burning fervor." 
Our angel guardian must not be forgotten. See him at 
our side ; what is he doing ? 

The chronicles of Citeaux will tell us. During the 
office, St. Bernard saw beside each religious an angel. 
As soon as a verse of a psalm was chanted, he wrote in 
a book with a golden pen. And the saint noticed that 
the letters sometimes shone like gold, sometimes like 
silver, sometimes seemed black, and again pale like 
water. And sometimes even the pen made no mark. 
St. Bernard, astonished, asked God to explain to him 
the meaning of this mysterious vision. The Lord told 
him that this angel was the guardian angel of each 
religious. The difference in colors indicated the fervor 
with which each one sung the praises of God. If we 
would have our good angel write in golden letters in 
that book where our works are recorded, let us practise 
the pious method of hearing Vespers of which we have 
spoken. 

The Venerable de Berulle, founder of the Oratory in 
France, has written a pious tract on the manner of re- 
citing the office. The following lines which we copy 
from him will enkindle the fervor of many souls : 

" Think that you have to praise God for an infinite 
number of creatures who are incapable or unworthy to 
do so. Some are dumb, without voice or soul ; they 
borrow your mind and lips to praise the Creator. 

" Others are as if in the state of childhood and in 
their minority ; they look to your height in grace to 
render homage through you to their sovereign Lord. 
Others, deprived by their own fault of the grace offered 



The Psalms of Vespers. 115 

to them, are cursed by God, and unfit to praise 
Him. 

"Double and triple blessing then is given you to 
praise God for them and for yourself. From this point 
of view, and with this thought, regard yourself as dele- 
gated by all creatures to praise the Lord of all, and pay 
Him their common tribute. You, then, praise the Lord 
for all — for the heavens and the earth, the creatures 
animate and inanimate ; for Christians and infidels ; for 
Catholics and heretics ; for the blessed and reprobate ; 
for hell itself, though it shudders and resists with its 
perverse will. You are placed between heaven and hell. 
Hell is under your feet, and God grant that you have as. 
much fervor to praise the Divine Majesty as the repro- 
bate have obstinacy in cursing it. Heaven is open 
above your head, and God grand that you have as great 
elevation of mind and piety as heaven has of rest, of 
glory, of joy in the possession of its Lord ! " 

May the Spirit of God, by the unction of His grace, 
engrave these noble thoughts in our souls, and may they 
be always present at the beginning of the divine office ! 
Let the empty places around us excite our devotion ; 
we will love for those that love not, pray for those who> 
pray not, praise for those who praise not. 

CHAPTER IIL-THE PSALMS OF VESPERS. 

1. PRELIMINARIES OF THE OFFICE. 

Pater and Ave Maria. — The Lord's Prayer, recited 
before Vespers and all the other canonical hours, is the 
abridgment of all that we shall ask of God during the 
office. All the intentions which w^e can have are there 



116 Vespers. 

recalled : first, the sauctification of God's name, the 
coming of His reign in our hearts, the accomplishing of 
His will ; then, the granting of all our needs, the par- 
don of all our faults, victory over temptation, deliver- 
ance from all dangers. What graces to ask ! What 
necessities to satisfy ! And consequently what motives 
to pray, and to pray well ! The Ave Maria^ recited 
before the office, is a souvenir of the fervor of our 
fathers. The public office was accompanied by the 
office of the Blessed Virgin ; some religious orders still 
recite it thus. The reason for this is wonderfully beau- 
tiful. 

The different parts of the office celebrate the mys- 
teries of our redemption ; and to Mary, called by the 
doctors of the Church the coredeemer of the world, 
for the active part she bore in the work, a testimony of 
gratitude is due. The recitation of the Ave Maria 
before the canonical hours is the only vestige of this 
custom remaining to us. The intention of the Church 
in retaining this prayer has doubtless been to hold 
Mary up to us as our model, according to the words of 
St. Ambrose: '* May the spirit of Mary reign in each 
one of us to praise God worthily." {In Luc. ii. 26.) 

At the Ave Maria our thoughts should be borne to 
Calvary, and we will ask Mary, standing at the foot of 
the cross, for some of the feelings that filled her heart. 
These prayers are said in a low voice. It is time to ask 
ourselves why the Pater is said aloud in the Mass, when 
in the other offices it is otherwise. For the solution of 
this difficulty we must go back to the first centuries. 
The Lord's Prayer and the Creed, considered as the 
watchwords of Christians, were not taught to cate- 



The Psalms of Vespers. 117 

chumens until a little while before their baptism. Re- 
spect forbade saying these prayers aloud in those as- 
semblies where pagans and catechumens might be pres- 
ent. These being allowed to take part in the offices of 
the day and night, care was taken to say these prayers 
secretly. It was not the same case with the Mass. 
The Church did not admit to the sacrifice those who 
had not been regenerated in the waters of baptism ; 
there being no fear then of compromising the mysteries 
by reciting these prayers; they were solemnly chanted. 

Deus in Adjutorium.—The priest and the faithful 
arise, and turn toward the altar. At this solemn mo~ 
ment of the public prayer, the Church cannot forget 
that the demon, like a lion full of craft and rage, prowls, 
around the faithful band, above all when our heart 
offers to God the incense of prayer. Do we not know^ 
this of our own experience ? 

In the ordinary occupations of our life our mind is^ 
entirely upon that which we do. But when we begin to 
pray, then a swarm of foreign and importunate thoughts 
buzz around us ; distractions carry us into unknown 
and fantastic regions ; the body is in the holy place, 
but a mysterious power draws the mind abroad. And 
what invisible force swells the storm of temptation 
during prayer ? Temptations to idleness, vanity, frivol- 
ity, sleep, not to speak of others more humiliating to 
the Christian who desires to recollect himself before 
God. 

All these things are the work of the demon. Against 
the attacks of the enemy the Church, before the office, 
arms us with the cross, and puts on our lips the cry of 
distress and confidence: ^^ Deus in adjutorium meuin 



118 Vespers. 

intende^^ — "0 God, come to my assistance: make 
haste to help me." 

What a holy boldness in these words ! What truly 
filial confidence ! He who hopes in God shall not be 
deceived. "Thou hadst hardly called Me when I had 
heard thee," says the Lord. 

The Church, knowing that her prayer is already heard, 
that the angels of God come to cover the pious flock 
with their love and their protection, intones one after 
another the chants of her gratitude to the adorable 
Trinity. 

Gloria Patri. — We have come into the holy place to 
glorify God. God is outraged on earth by His own 
children ; at the very hour when we are united at the 
foot of the altar, what blasphemies are uttered against 
heaven, what scandals committed in the light of day, 
what crimes in the darkness ! While the sinner raises 
his voice in insult against God, let us raise ours in 
praise : Glory be to the Father, the source of all power ; 
glory be to the Son, source of all wisdom ; glory be to 
the Holy Ghost, source of all love. Glory be to the 
Father Who has created us ; glory be to the Son Who 
has redeemed us ; glory be to the Holy Ghost Who has 
sanctified us. These first words of the Gloria go back 
to the time of the apostles. The Arians having dared 
to say that there was a time when the Son did not 
€xist with the Father, the Council of Nice, to protest 
against this blasphemy, decreed that to the Gloria Patri 
these words should be added : Sicut erat in piHncipio — 
^* As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end." 
, This is the first meaninsr of the Sicut erat. There is 



The Psalms of Vesj^ers. 119 

a second which explains in v>'hat manner we should 
glorify God : Glory be to God, now as it was in the he- 
ginning. Our heart, like a broken harp, cannot give 
forth melodious sounds ; our lips, whether dumb or 
soiled, are incapable of praising God as He deserves. 
We pray then the Blessed Trinity to vouchsafe to re- 
ceive in the place of our unworthy praise the praises 
which were offered in the beginning, that is to say, from 
all eternity, when the Father praised the Son Who is 
God of God ; the Son praised the Father Whose Word 
He is ; the Father and the Son praised the Holy Spirit 
Who lives and reigns with them. Not only do w^e wish 
that God may be glorified, now as He was in eternity, 
but we also ask the Divine Persons that their praises 
may be always on our lips and in our hearts, and in the 
world that never ends we may have the happiness to 
bless and praise them. How sublime is the Sicut erat ! 
And to think that it can pass like an icy breath over 
lips still colder ! 

But it shall be so no longer. Our hearts shall repeat in 
ecstasy : ''Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and 
to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, 
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen." 

During the Gloria the clergy bare their brows^ and 
all heads are bent. These uncovered brows, these 
bowed heads well express the sentiments of the faithful 
soul. The best praise to offer God is the practice of 
Christian humilty, the extinguishing of self. 

When pride is enthroned in the heart, how dare we 
recite the thrice-holy chant ? With lying lips and hypo- 
critical posture pretend to return to God all glory, 
wiien the heart has alreadv stolen it from Him ? If our 



120 Vespers. 

words are always the echo of our true sentiments, and 
Tiumiliation of body is a symbol of interior humility, we 
shall escape the reproach of the Master : " These people 
honor Me with an exterior worship, but their hearts are 
far from Me." 

The Alleluia. — Again a chant of praise, for this 
Hebrew word signifies praise the Lord. The Church 
wills that all tongues come to render homage to Him 
Who- has redeemed the entire world. The Alleluia is 
ceaselessly chanted around the throne of the Lamb by 
the celestial choirs ; the Church, in placing it on our lips, 
recalls that He Whose grandeurs we celebrate is the 
.«^ame God glorified by angels. To the same God the 
same respect, the same love. Alleluia. 

The Anthem of the Psalm. — The principal feasts of 
the saints for a long time had two offices, the office of 
the feria^ that is, the day of the week upon which they 
fell, and that of the feast itself. In this case a double 
office was recited, as is still done on the second of 
November. These solemnities took the name of double 
feasts. Other, less important feasts had two half- 
offices, one of the feria^ the other of the saint. These 
were called semi-doubles. 

Later the Church, to render the divine office less 
onerous, suppressed on the feasts the office of the feria. 
As a remembrance of the older custom on doiihles^ the 
anthems were doubled, being said before and after the 
psalms ; on the semi-doubles^ half of the anthem, or the 
first words, was placed at the beginning of the psalm, 
and the whole was recited at the end. This custom 
exists still in the Church. 



The Psalms of Vespers. 121 



2. THE FIRST PSALM. 



The first psalm of Vespers on Sunday celebrates all 
the glories of Jesus Christ : His eternal generation; His 
eternal priesthood; His eternal empire over all people 
become His footstool. 

But, some one may say, Vespers especially honor the 
sorrows of Jesus Christ and His blessed Mother, and 
here is the Church, kneeling at the foot of the cross, . 
singing nothing but hymns of joy and chants of tri- 
umph. Beyond the humiliations of Calvary and the 
silence of the sepulchre, the glories of the resurrection 
show themselves to her. And in her joy she cannot 
cease repeating to her children : Jesus Christ, humiliated 
on the cross, humiliated in the world, will soon triumph. 
The Holy Spirit announced it many centuries ago by the 
mouth of the Eoyal Prophet. 

' * The Lord said to my Lord : Sit Thou at My right hand." 

Crucified between two thieves, trodden under the feet 

of the populace like a worm of the earth, Jesus Christ 

will take His place, even on the throne of God, on the 

day of His glorious ascension. 

" Until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool." 
Jesus Christ has not only children in the world; He 
has also enemies. Those who attack the Church, the 
Pope, the pastors ; those who live obstinately in sin, — 
these are the Saviour's enemies. They refuse to fall 
to-day a^t the feet of the mercy which raises and par- 
dons ; one day an irresistible force will throw them at 
the feet of that justice which crushes and punishes. 
The enemies of Jesus Christ will be the footsool of His 
tribunal on the last day when He comes to judge. 



122 Vespers, 

'^ The Lord shall send forth the rod of Thy power from 
out of Sion : rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies." 

On the clouds of heaven shall shine the cross so often 
insulted. With this sceptre of power .in His hand Jesus 
Christ will judge us. Too late all will recognize in Him 
the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is the hour of 
that reign so often invoked : Adveniat regnum ticum. 

''Thine shall be the dominion in the day of Thy 
power, amid the brightness of the saints : from the 
womb before the day-star have I begotten Thee." 

The power of princes and kings is in Thee, as in its 
source. It flows from Thee upon the elect on Thy right 
hand ; it is by Thee that kings reign. The world has 
not perceived it through the ages ; it shall see it in the 
day of Thy might. The saints, despised here below, will 
stand in their splendor, like a rich diadem around the 
King of glory ; they are the princes of the eternal 
kingdom. May the strength of the great King, may the 
majesty of His elect, not find us unprepared ! It is He 
of Whom the Father has said : "Before the day-star I 
have begotten Thee." 

"The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent : Thou 
art a priest forever according to the order of Mel- 
chisedech." 

This is the true Priest-King, "Whose Vicar Kome has' 
the glory of sheltering. The sacrifice of Calvary He 
has continued to offer on all the Catholic altars, where 
He is at the same time high-priest and victim. He 
will be priest until the end, and eternity will have its 
ineffable sacrifice, its divine banquet. 

"The Lord upon thy right hand hath overthrown 
kings in the day of His wrath." 



The Psalms of Vespers, 123 

The pride of kings has conspired against the religion 
of Jesus Christ, above all against His divine priesthood. 
The watchword, Destruction to the altar, has passed 
over many lips. Vain efforts ! The Lord protects His 
Church ; He has broken all the crowned conspirators in 
the day of His wrath. 

"He shall judge among the nations. He shall fulfil 
destructions ; He shall smite in sunder the heads in the 
land of many." 

The nations will have their turn. The stroke of ven- 
geance will pour curses on those " who have met to- 
gether against the Lord and against His Christ, and who 
have said : Let us cast their yoke from us." (Ps. ii. 1-3.) 
They will fill up the vast abysses of hell. As to the mul- 
titude who cry : ' ' There is no salvation for him in his 
God" (Ps. iii. 2), Jehovah will break them against the 
earth. A comparison naturally presents itself to the 
mind. The prophet says: "He shall smite in sunder 
the heads of a great number," and later Our Lord re- 
peats sadly : "Many are called, but few are chosen." 
Let us not follow the multitude ; they hasten to their 
loss. 

"He shall drink of the brook in the way : therefore 
shall he lift up his head." 

The brook in the way is sorrow. Jesus Christ has 
drunk there in long draughts. He has humiliated Him- 
self even to taking the form of a slave ; He has eaten 
the bread of a laborer by the sweat of His brow ; He 
has known the privations of exile. This is the way 
marked out for each Christian : suffering, humiliations, 
tears ; but the reward follows. The true seed of glory 
is sufferino:. 



124 Vespers, 

3. THE SECOND PSALM. 

The second psalm of Vespers sings the blessings which 
Jesus Christ has merited for us by His death. This is 
also the canticle of thanksgiving for the institution of 
the Eucharist. 

"I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart : 
in the assembly of the just, and in the congregation." 

At the recollection of all that Thou hast done for me 
during the course of my life, more particularly in the 
week that has just passed, I feel that I must praise Thee, 
O Lord, in the fulness of my heart. The solitary and 
private praise which the Christian gives to God in the 
sanctuary of his heart is not enough. To those who say 
that a prayer said at home is as good as one made in the 
church, the Holy Spirit has taken care to answer that it 
is necessary to praise God in the heart, but also in the 
assemblies and congregations of the people. 

'' Great are the works of the Lord : sought out are 
they unto all His pleasures." 

All the works of the Lord bear the triple seal of 
power, wisdom, and goodness. There is nothing useless 
in creation ; all there is great, all responds wonderfully 
to the designs of God. " To move the heart of man by 
the grandeur, the harmony, the beauty of the spectacle 
which creation offers him ; to raise his mind to God, 
the architect of all these marvels. So that the vast 
universe is .a book alvvays open before our eyes." (St. 
John Chrys., /n Fsal. ex.) 

*'His. work is His praise and His honor : and His jus- 
tice endureth for ever and ever." 

" God does everything for love," says St. Chrysostom. 



The Psalms of Vespers, 125 

When He strikes or when He blesses ; when He pours 
upon the fields the dew of heaven or the treasures of 
His wrath ; whether He sends sickness or health, 
poverty or abundance, honor or humiliation, above all 
shines His goodness as well as His glory. Even when 
crime seems to triumph over innocence, be far from us 
the least murmur : there is a justice which endureth for 
ever and ever. And the victim and murderer will fall 
into its hands. If this divine justice is patient and 
slow, as has been said, it is because it is eternal. 

" The merciful and gracious Lord hath left a memo- 
rial of His marvellous works: He hath given meat to 
them that fear Him." 

A memorial of the creation, the Incarnation, the Pas- 
sion, the Kesurrection, the Ascension, the Eucharist is 
truly the abridgment of the marvellous works of God ; 
the greatest work, wherein mercy and goodness have, 
in a sense, exhausted their divine inventiveness. I see 
nothing greater than communion but the incarnation, 
and after the holy Table there is but heaven. Jesus 
Christ has not instituted this sacrament only to be 
adored. He immolates Himself as victim that He may 
give Himself as food to them that fear Him. Let us not 
put asunder that which God has joined ; let us assist at 
the sacrifice, but also take our place at the holy Table. 
The essential condition for participating in this heavenly 
food is the fear of the Lord ; a tender and filial fear 
of God makes us bring to the divine banquet a pure 
conscience and all necessary dispositions. 

''He shall ever be mindful of His covenant : He shall 
show forth unto His people the power of His works." 

In communion man contracts a close alliance with 



126 Vespers, 

God, an alliance sealed in the blood of the august Vic- 
tim. Oh, how fragile are our pledges and our promises ! 
For many the very day of communion passes in forget- 
fulness of such a grace. But God remembers ; He will 
demand a rigorous account of His eucharistic visits. 
Above all, God will remember to reward and bless the 
earthly angels of the Eucharist. On the last day He will 
raise them up ; He will clothe their bodies, so often nour- 
ished with the celestial bread, with a mantle of glorious 
immortality ; the virtue of the Sacrament of the Altar, 
a virtue concealed to-day, will then be divinely mani- 
fested. 

'^That He may give to them the heritage of the 
gentiles : the works of His hands are judgment and 
truth." 

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood," says 
Our Lord, "hath everlasting life, and I will raise him 
up on the last day." (St. John vi. 50-57.) Jesus Christ 
will remember this ; His promises are founded on jus- 
tice and truth. Heaven, the true inheritance of all na- 
tions, is thus assured to the soul nourished by the sacred 
bread, for the Saviour said : "He hath eternal life." 

"Faithful are all His commandments; they stand 
fast for ever and ever : they are done in truth and 
equity." 

To attain to this glory we have received certain pre- 
cepts. Let us keep the laws of the Lord, for they are 
faithful, they can never deceive. All that they promise 
they fulfil : the assured recompense of the good, as well 
as the punishment reserved for the wicked. The second 
character of the laws of God is that they do not change. 
The Gospel is to-day what it has been for eighteen 



The Psalms of Vespers, 127 

hundred years. As in the past, heresy and philosophy 
would like to change it; philosophers and heretics pass, 
and the law of God remaiDs. Such stability will per- 
haps seem surprising to this generation, accustomed to 
see l).uman laws fly before the breath of political storms. 
All surprise will disappear at the last words of the 
verse: "They are done in truth and justice." Here is 
no deception, no prejudice, no error ; a gold without 
alloy: in veritate. All mankind, without exception, are 
equally under the law; it includes nothing arbitrary^ 
nothing superfluous, nothing impossible : et cEquitate. 

"He hath sent redemption unto His people : He hath 
commanded His covenant for ever." 

The Eucharist applies to us the merits of the redemp- 
tion. The sacrifice of Calvary is renewed on the altar 
every day. The covenant of God with man must be 
eternal ; nothing can break it except sin. 

" Holy and terrible is His name : the fear of the 
Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 

Let us approach tremblingly to this august banquet ; 
He Who gives Himself there to us, however poor and 
humble He may appear, is the same God Whose name is 
holy and terrible. If we do not feel this pious fear in 
our soul, let us ask it of the Holy Ghost; it is one of 
His gifts and the beginning of wisdom. " Fear," says 
St. Bernard, " contains a true savor; now savor makes 
a man wise, as science makes a learned man, and 
riches a wealthy man, for the word sage, or wise, comes 
from savor." "Fear," St. Francis de Sales says, 
"precedes love ordinarily and serves as its harbinger ; 
it is St. John the Baptist going before the Lord; it is 
the steel needle piercing the material to draw through 



128 Vespers. 

and leave after it the golden or silken thread which 
will embellish." 

** A good understanding have they all that do there- 
after : His praise endureth for ever and ever." 

Following the order of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, 
understanding comes after wisdom ; it is like its mysti- 
cal blossom, the divine flower. In the Eucharist all is 
mystery; our faith needs a ray of that divine hght to 
come and enlighten it. The priest asks this before the 
sacrifice. "Send forth Thy light and Thy truth ; by the 
light of this celestial torch I will go unto Thy holy moun- 
tain and into Thy tabernacle." God enlightens the hum- 
ble and fearing soul, and for all eternity it will chant 
the praise of Him Whom it has loved with fear and 
feared with love. 

4. THE THIRD PSALM. 

The flower needs dew, fruit the sunshine, and man 
craves happiness. He asks for it of all that presents it- 
self to him. Riches, power, glory, beauty, offer to him 
but a bitter and impoisoned fruit. Where then is this 
happiness to be found which all so desire ? The Holy 
Spirit has revealed it to us in the third psalm of Vespers. 
"Fear is the beginning of wisdom," the prophet-king 
had sung. He will now show to us that it is also the 
road to true happiness, even in this life. 

" Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord : in His 
commandments he shall have great delight." How many 
are there who see in the precepts of God but a yoke and 
a burden 1 A few find therein the unction and sweetness 
that God has concealed for His faithful servants. The 
first steps in the law of the Lord are nearly always diffi- 




Ambry. 

In which the Holy Oils 

are kept. 




Poor Box. 





Altar Card. 



Standing Lamp. 




Altar Vase. 




Cruets. 

In which the Water and Wine 

are presented to the Priest 

at Mass. 




Missionary's Companion. 

Containing all that is necessary for 
Baptisms and Sick Calls. 




Sacristy Bell. 




Altar Bell. 





"m 



Chimes. 



Gong. 



The Psalms of Vespers. 129 

cult. Courage ; after the labors you will taste delights 
unknown to the crowd. 

** His seed shall be mighty upon the earth : the gen- 
eration of the righteous shall be blessed." 

Would coming generations be feeble and weak if the 
fear of the Lord and the love of His commandments were 
held in honor ? Would youth be cut down in its flower 
and springtime if all fathers and mothers had fulfilled 
the duties laid upon them ? The Holy Spirit answers : 
Poteiis in terra erit semen ejus. The countries where 
faith still reigns show us a vigorous race. Place these 
noble branches of a powerful root beside that other 
generation which has for its cradle a country where 
Jesus Christ is a God forgotten or unknown, and you 
will understand the profundity of these words: The 
fear of the Lord will give power and strength to the gen- 
erations. 

" Glory and riches shall be in His house : and His jus- 
tice endureth for ever and ever." 

. The avowed esteem of the good, the secret esteem of 
the wicked form a crown around His brow. His acts 
may be criticised publidy : what chatter, what jests we 
hear everywhere on the conduct of those who practise 
their religion ! This is but on the surface ; in reality 
they are approved, praised, esteemed. God also recom- 
penses the just man in this world. The fear of the Lord 
has made him sanctify Sundays and the feasts ; the rich- 
est blessings will bring abundance into his storehouses 
and increase his riches. Glory and fortune, that rock 
of shipwreck to the majority, will not change him ; his 
virtue, his simplicity remain unalterable : everywhere 
and always he is the just man. 



130 Vespers. 

^'XJnto the righteous there hath arisen light in 
the darkness : He is merciful, compassionate, and 
just." 

Life is full of darkness. Doubts, sorrow, and trials 
shed upon our soul the blackness of night. For the un- 
happy sinner there is no torch to guide. But the right- 
eous, on the contrary, is surrounded with light ; the light 
of consolation, the light of counsel. This light is God 
Himself, God compassionate, merciful, and just. Before 
this triple manifestation of compassion, mercy, and 
justice, the darkness disappears, like the clouds of night 
before the rising sun. 

** Acceptable is the man who is merciful and lendeth; 
he will guide his words with judgment : he shall not be 
moved for ever." 

An immense indulgence for all »the frailties of poor 
human nature fills the heart of the righteous. Has a 
fault been committed, he does not criticise, he does not 
blame, but he pities his brother. ' ' Re lends " in so doing, 
says the prophet-king, for he who judges not shall not 
be judged ; he who condemneth not shall not be con- 
demned ; to him who has shown mercy will mercy be 
shown in large measure. 

Wisdom also guides all his words ; afi'able with infe- 
riors, charitable with equals, respectful to superiors, and 
always, with all, the perfume of kindliness in his speech. 
Wisdom excludes from his conversation calumny, evil- 
speaking, and lying. It teaches him to speak and to be 
silent at the right time. That is why, adds the psalm, 
he will never be moved and vanquished by the demon. 
Has not St. James said that "if any man offend not in 
word, the same is a perfect maoi " ? 



The Psalms of Vespers. 131 

^* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance : 
he shall not be afraid for evil report," 

Time effaces everything from the memory of man^ 
everything except virtue. St. John Chrysostom says : 
"Hear what is necessary to raise a monument which shall 
perpetuate your name. Is it heaped-up marbles ? No. 
High walls or towers ? Iso. But the examples of good 
works." {In Psal. cxi.) The greatest conquerors are 
forgotten or unknown to the masses, yet all the Chris- 
tian family knows the humble virgin of Nanterre or the 
shepherd of Pibrac. The name of the just man engraved 
in the memory of mankind is also written in the book of 
life. At the last day, when the terrible sentence : " De- 
part from Me, ye cursed," shall throw the reprobate into 
hell, he will not fear. To him will be said : " Come, thou 
blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for 
thee." 

*' His heart is prepared to hope in the Lord ; his heart 
is fixed : he shall not be moved until he look down on 
his enemies." 

There are those who, in trial, are always ready to 
complain, murmur, to despair, to accuse Providence. 
Christians, these, wdthout faith and without love. Very 
differently does the just man act. His first glance then 
is toward heaven, his first thought for God, his first 
feeling hope. He throws himself entirely into the 
paternal arms of the divine mercy. This confidence 
clothes his heart with such strength that he despises his 
enemies, the devil and his infernal legions. 

" He hath dispersed abroad, he hath given to the poor; 
His justice endureth for ever and ever : His horn shall 
be exalted in glory." 



132 Vespers. 

The confidence of which we have just spoken is not 
rash ; it is the recompense of charity. Priests often see 
it at the dying bed. The hand which has sown alros 
clasps the crucifix in ecstasy. In that last hour God 
pours immense consolations into the charitable heart. 
Death does not cause it to fear. It knows that the penny 
given in alms returns a hundred for one ; that the sow- 
ing of good works, justice, to use the language of the 
prophet, will bring forth eternal fruit. Let us give if we 
would be enriched, because God assures a double recom- 
pense, beginning in this world, to him who relieves the 
poverty of his brothers : glory, that is to say, the blessings 
of the unfortunate, then abundance and prosperity in- his 
earthly possessions. 

" The sinner shall see it and be wroth ; he shall gnash 
his teeth, and consume away : the desire of the wicked 
shall perish." 

The man who now laughs at your faith and your love 
will one day be the witness of your triumph. When the 
Sovereign Judge says : " I was hungry, and you gave 
Me to eat" (St. Matt. xxv. 35), he will understand too 
late the worth of charity. Despair will seize his heart ; 
he will tremble and gnash his teeth, as he sees all his 
vain hopes vanishing. And you in the midst of celestial 
choirs, you will repeat for the first time in heaven the 
canticle of eternal praise : Glory be to the Father, and 
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the be- 
ginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. 
Amen. 



The Psalms of Vespers. 133 

5. THE FOURTH PSALM. 

This psalm, as well as the following one, was chanted 
by the newly baptized as they came out of the sacred 
fonts. 

The remembrance of Baptism should have its place in 
the office of Vespers beside the Eucharist, because the 
blood and the water which sprang forth under the iron 
of the soldier's lance figured these two sacraments, ac- 
cording to the unanimous opinion of the doctors of the 
Church. At the urgent invitation of the Church let us 
thank God for the grace of Baptism, so ill appreciated; 
let us also renew our resolution to serve better a God so 
powerful. 

'' Praise the Lord, ye children : praise ye the name of 
the Lord." 

All you who, by such a touching favor, have in holy 
Baptism become the children of God, praise the Lord. 
The greatness of such a blessing, refused to so many 
others, calls for all your gratitude. Praise His holy 
name, which is nothing else than power, wisdom, His 
bounty shown in this sacrament. 

^'Blessed be the name of the Lordr from this time 
forth for evermore." 

"When the brow is still wet with the waters of Baptism, 
when the heart still beats with the unspeakable emotions 
of holy communion, the lips of the child can only bless. 
Soon he will hear blasphemies against God, murmurs 
against Providence. " Take care," the Church anxiously 
warns him. "In youth, in middle age, in old age, in 
prosperity, as in trial, bless always the name of the Lord. 
Xever insult the God of your Baptism and of your first 



134 Vespers, 

communion." At this verse the heads are bowed. By 
this humble position, and still more by the ardor of your 
love, repair all the blasphemies which earth vomits forth 
against heaven. 

' ' From the rising of the sun unto the going down 
of the same : the name of the Lord is worthy to be 
praised." 

Respect this divine name, whose grandeur everything 
proclaims. Look around you : from the dawn to the 
sunset, from the east to the west, from springtime to 
winter, everything chants the praises of God. Deaf and 
thrice deaf he who does not hear this great concert of 
nature; blind and thrice blind he who does not see the 
name of God written on all the works of creation. The 
star or the insect, the oak or the blade of grass, the 
drop of dew or the immensity of the ocean, the grain 
of wheat or the bunch of grapes, as well as the angels 
and mankind, chant the power, the wisdom, the good- 
ness of the Creator: "J. solis ortu usque ad occasum 
laudabile nomen Domini!'^ 

*'The Lord is high above all nations: and His glory 
above the heavens." 

The greatest enemy of the Christian, that which causes 
most desertion from the army of the soldiers of Jesus 
Christ, is human respect. Would the promises of Bap- 
tism be so soon forgotten if we were penetrated with 
the grandeur of God and the nothingness of man ? Let 
us take for our device and war-cry this verse of the 
psalm: "The Lord is high above the nations, and His 
glory above the heavens." The nations and the princes 
who command them, the thrones and the armies that 
sustain them, the opportunities and honors which they 



The Psalms of Vespers. 135 

afford, all the most ambitious grandeurs of the earth, 
before the Lord are as a grain of dust raised by the 
wind, or the drop of water which falls from an over-full 
vase. These expressions are those of the Holy Scrip- 
tures. The prophet, to make them stronger, adds : 
^' that all nations are as nothing before the Lord." (Is. 
xl. 15-17.) Who then to please man would dare despise 
the Lord ? That we may have an idea of His glory we 
are told that it is above the heavens. To proclaim that 
the Lord has made His tent of the pavilion of the 
heavens, His throne of the sun, His mantle of the light; 
to say that the lightning is a ray of His glory, the 
thunder the accents of His voice, the empurpled clouds 
His triumphal chariot, are so many rude images by 
means of which the Christian loves to represent to him- 
self the glory of God. The Lord is infinitely above the 
splendors which fall within the cognizance of our senses 
or which our imagination can invent. ^' Et super coelos 
gloria ejus.^^ 

''Who is like to the Lord our God, Who dwelleth 
on high : and regardeth the things that are lowly in 
heaven and earth ? " 

This was the cry which rallied the angels under the 
banner of Saint Michael : Who is like unto God ? This 
thought alone should preserve-us always faithful. Who 
is good like God? Who is beautiful as God? Who 
is great as God? Who is powerful as God? Who 
is wise like God ? Who is faithful like God ? In the 
moment of temptation let us ask our heart this ques- 
tion; it will assuredly turn to the side of the Sovereign 
Good. 

The prophet-king, in this same verse, speaks of the 



136 Vespers. 

divine Providence. Nothing escapes the direct action 
of God ; He provides for all. Neither a bird of the air 
nor a hair of our head can fall to the ground without 
His permission. Incredulous philosophy repeats unceas- 
ingly : We are too little for God to occupy Himself with 
us. If these philosophers would come to Vespers, they 
would hear the Word of the Holy Ghost : '' The Lord 
Who dwelleth on high regardeth the things that are 
lowly in heaven and on earth." 

*' Who raiseth up the needy from the earth: and lifteth 
the poor from off the dunghill." 

Behold, all that God has done for humanity in the In- 
carnation He continues for each one of us in holy Baptism. 
We have been this needy one in the dust, this sinner in 
the mire : figurative expressions which depict to what 
degree of humiliation and degradation original sin has re- 
duced man. God takes him by the hand and raises him up. 

' ' That He may set him with the princes : even with the 
princes of the people." 

The Christian is called to reign with the angels, the 
princes of the heavenly court. His throne is ready; 
each good work is a new diamond added to his crown. 
But the conquest of this eternal kingdom suffers vio- 
lence; the renunciation of ourselves and of creatures is 
the victorious sword which will open to us the gates. 
The sign of our royalty has been imprinted on our brow 
by the Church; holy Baptism is only the consecration of 
the Christian. 

**Who maketh the barren woman to dwell in her 
house : the joyful mother of children." 

The Church is this barren woman. Everything seemed 
to condemn her never to know the joys of maternity. 



The Psalms of Vespers. 137 

Her divine Founder has established her in virginity 
and martyrdom. And behold the world has seen, 
astonished, "this infant republic multiply herself by 
chastity and death, though these are sterile means and 
contrary to the design of increase." (Balzac, Socrate 
Chretien.) 

6. THE FIFTH PSALM. 

The grandeur of its images, the richness of its poetry, 
the depth of its prophecies make this psalm the most 
beautiful chant of the old law. David therein cele- 
brates the deliverance of the Hebrew people on the day 
after the Passover, the passage of the Red Sea, the 
tremblings of Sinai, the miracles of the desert. The lips 
that celebrated the miracles worked in favor of the 
ancient people prophesied at the same time, says St. 
Augustine, the marvels which should shine on the steps 
of the new nations. We will look at this sublime psalm 
on its prophetic side. It will appear to us as really a 
history of the Church, her combats, her triumphs, and 
the blessings showered upon her. 

The Hebrew ritual prescribed that this psalm should 
be recited during the celebration of the Pasch, and 
several authors have thought that this was the psalm 
which Our Lord said after the last supper. (Baronius, 
Ann. 34.) This consideration can but increase our 
fervor. 

' ' When Israel came out of Egypt : the house of Jacob 
from among a strange people." 

Israel and the house of Jacob figure the Church and 
the Christian people ; Egypt, the servitude of the demon 
from which Baptism has freed us, and also the world 



138 Vespers, 

fallen into the power of the infernal despot. The un- 
fortunate people over which he reigns speak a language 
of which we should be ignorant. Lying, evil-speaking, 
Iblasi^hemy, and impurity are its principal elements. May 
the language of the world be to us always foreign and 
unknown ! 

^'Judawas made His sanctuary: and Israel His do- 
minion." 

Under these two names,, of which the first means the 
f raise of God^ and the second strength of God^ the 
prophet designates the children of the true Juda, the 
family of the divine Israel. The Church has become 
the only sanctuary where God is w^orthily praised, as 
well as the scene where He manifests His power. The 
expression which the Koyal Prophet uses says much 
more. The Church has been chosen as the instrument 
of sanctification upon the earth. It is the divine salt 
w^hich preserves from corruption, according to the 
words of Jesus Christ ; without her the abominations 
of Sodom and Ninive w^ould have been surpassed long 
ago. The impetuous torrent of vice, in its lamentable 
overflow^ has always encountered a breakwater against 
which its waves have dashed in vain : the sanctity 
preached and practised by the Church. If the body 
social, all covered with leprosy and infected with con- 
tagion as it is, subsists still, thanks are due to the spouse 
of Christ ; her divine life repels death. Those who 
"will not see this miracle, so evident and constantly 
renewed, cannot help recognizing the fact that God has 
w^rought by the Church and in favor of the Church His 
greatest marvels; the power He has chosen "for His 
dominion," says the sacred text. Without pretending 



The Psalms of Vespers. 139 

to enumerate all that the Lord has done for His spouse, 
let us recall briefly that she has felt all the swords of 
persecution crossed on her breast ; that she has been 
the butt of the hatred of princes and of nations, that 
twenty times events seemed to have dug her grave. 
Constantly attacked, she has always been victorious. 
Thrones have crumbled, dynasties have disappeared, 
crowns have fallen, nations have been wiped out, and 
the Church is always standing, because she is the 
throne of the power of the Lord : '^ Israel pot est as ejus.''- 

" The sea beheld, *and fled : Jordan was turned back." 

The world is often compared to the sea, because of 
its depths and its storms. It has wished to oppose the 
mission of the Church, raising against her. the waves of 
evil passions. During four centuries the blood of mar- 
tyrs reddened its waters. The spectacle presented to it 
bore so unmistakably the seal of sanctity and of might 
that it has opened a passage to the holy one it perse- 
cuted. Its waves were, so to speak, turned back by 
admiration and awe. ''Mare vidit et fugity This is 
not all. Mankind, relinquishing itself to the course of 
its passions, descended toward the abyss, like the river 
whose waves throw themselves into the ocean. The 
Church has renewed for it the miracle of the holy ark 
on the shore of the Jordan. They have returned to 
their source, that is to say, to God. This beautiful 
thought is St. Augustine's. {In Psal, cxiii.) 

^'The mountains skipped like rams: and the little 
hills like lambs of the flock." 

The conversion of the pagan world has filled the 
entire Church wdth joy. To express it David uses a 
figure as bold as sublime. " The mountains skipped 



140 Vespers. 

like rams, and the little hills like lambs of the flock." 
But what are these mountains ? What are the little 
hills ? By the former St. xiugustine understands the 
apostles and all the preachers of the Gospel, raised by 
their ministry to sanctity and to heights which the eye 
could not measure ; by the latter, the faithful whom 
the word of the Gospel has begotten to the Church ; the 
name of Christian demands that they should raise them- 
selves above the majority by a higher life. (In Ps. cxiii.) 
'* What aileth thee, thou sea, that thou fleest, and 
thou Jordan, that thou wast turned back ? Ye moun- 
tains, that ye skipped like rams : and ye little hills like 
the lambs of the flock ?" 

The prophet, as the witness of all these prodigies, de- 
mands their cause : sea, Jordan, mountains, hills, 
answer me. 

'' At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved : 
at the presence of the God of Jacob." 

The Lord has shown Himself to the earth : He has 
perpetuated His presence in the midst of His children 
by the institution of the adorable Sacrament of the 
Eucharist. Alone and forgotten in His tabernacle, He 
governs from it the earth ; He moves it. The explana- 
tion of the sanctity and power of the Church is found in 
this promise : " I am with you always, even to the con- 
summation of the world." (St. Matt, xxviii. 20.) 

**Who turned the rock into a standing water : and 
the stony hill into a flowing stream." 

The rock was the figure of Jesus Christ, says St. 
Paul ; the rod of Moses is the lance of the soldier, and 
the water bursting abundantly from the opening repre- 
sents the torrents of grace flowing from the pierced side 



The Psalms of Vespers, 141 

of Jesus Christ. Our Lord calls us to these divine 
springs : " If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and 
drink." (St. John^vii. 37.) Let us hasten ; each one 
of His wounds has become a life-giving fountain. St. 
Bernard says that " the earthly paradise had four 
rivers Avhose waters flowed in all directions, bringing 
freshness and fruitfulness. And in Jesus Christ, our 
paradise of delights, we find four springs : the first is 
the source of truth ; the second, the source of wisdom ; 
the third, the source of virtue ; the fourth, the source 
of charity. Let us add to these another, the fifth, the 
source of life, promised to man after the trials of exile, 
and toward which the prophet sighed when he said: 
My soul thirsts for God, fountain of living water. It 
was, perhaps, to open these first four sources that Our 
Lord was wounded in four places before breathing His 
last sigh ; to figure the fifth, after His death His side 
was opened by a lance." {Serm. i. de Nativ.^ Semn, 
Ixvi.) May he who thirsts for truth, wisdom, virtue, 
charity, and life, come to quench his longing at the 
divine spring, at the feet of Jesus crucified ! 

*' Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us: but unto Thy 
name give the glory." 

Our deliverance from slavery, the wonders of sanctity 
and power wrought by the Church, the conversion of 
infidels, all the testimonies to the divine goodness 
should not puff us up with pride. To God, to God only, 
be the honor and glory ; to us humiliation, for how 
many would serve the Lord better than we if they had 
been called to the faith ! Bowing our heads, let us pay 
homage to God for all our works, all our goods, all our 
honors, all our talents. The glory which they have 



142 Vespers. 

procured for us goes back to God as to its source and 
end. 

'' For Thy mercy and Thy truth's sake : lest the gen- 
tiles should say : Where is their God ? " 

It would seem that the nations, enlightened by the 
events of history, should recognize the divine interven- 
tion in the government of the Church. But this is not 
so. Whenever a tempest assails her, if the arm of God 
is slow to be displayed, the Christian hears repeated 
the old blasphemy of impiety : Where then is. your God 
Who has promised to be the pilot of this worm-eaten 
ship which you call the Church? He is deaf to your 
prayers, or powerless to help you. Let them rave ; our 
hope is unalterably fixed upon a God full of mercy 
and faithful to His promises. He would interfere 
sooner did not mercy claim her right ; His patience 
gives the persecutors time to repent. Justice will have 
its hour ; then the world once more will see the accom- 
plishment of the promise that never fails : " The gates 
of hell shall not prevail against the Church." 

"But our God is in heaven : He hath done whatso- 
ever He would." 

What man can say to himself that nothing resists his 
will, that he has done whatsoever he would? Some 
can, but will not; others would, but cannot. God 
alone has an infinite power at the service of a will en- 
tirely merciful. Why do you fear, ye men of little 
faith ? Our God is the God of heaven ; all that He willed 
has been faithfully performed ; it will be so for ever. 

'' The idols of the gentiles are silver and gold : the 
work of the hands of men. They have mouths, and 
they shall not speak ; they have eyes, and they shall not 



The Psalms of Vespers, 14^ 

see. They have ears, and they shall not hear ; they 
have noses, and they shall not smell. They have hands, 
and they shall not feel ; they have feet, and they shall 
not walk ; neither shall they speak through their throat. 
Let all who make them become like unto them : and all 
such as put their trust in them." 

In these verses the prophet shows to Christians the 
folly of the pagan worship of idols made by man of 
gold or silver. They have ears, and do not hear the 
prayers addressed to them. Why then the incense 
burned on their altars, the flowers and the garlands ? 
They cannot smell their perfumes. Their hands are 
never extended in blessing. You never see them come 
to your help, for, though they have feet, they rest im- 
movable on their pedestals. Dumb gods, they never 
give you a word of consolation or hope. These are the 
gods which the world worshipped for centuries, and we 
should still offer them incense if God had not taken us 
away from idolatry : " Jti exitu Israel de Egypto.'''' 

' ' The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord : He is 
their helper and protector. 

'' The house of Aaron hath hoped in the Lord : He is 
their helper and protector. Those who fear the Lord 
have hoped in the Lord: He is their helper and protector." 

The house of Israel, as we already know, is the Chris- 
tian people ; the house of Aaron, the high-priest of the 
old law, represents the Catholic priesthood. Ask of his- 
tory, and it will tell you that the divine protection has 
never failed it. 

By those who fear the Lord, and who have put their 
confidence in Him, we may understand all mankind who, 
outside of the Church, serve God with filial fear. Their 



144 Vespers. 

confidence will never be deceived ; the way of the Lord 
will never fail them. One day or another, the light of 
truth will shine forth to enlighten them. 

''The Lord hath been mindful of us: and hath 
blessed us. 

"He hath blessed the house of Israel: He hath 
blessed the house of Aaron. 

" He hath blessed all those that fear the Lord : the 
least together with the greatest." 

The Lord remembers all. There is but one thing 
which He forgets, according to the Holy Book, and this 
is pardoned sin. He remembers our confidence, to 
bless us. Age, dignity, power, cleverness count as noth- 
ing ; great and small are equal before Him. If His 
heart feel a preference, it is for those whom the prophet 
mentions first. 

' ' May the Lord add blessings upon you : upon you 
and upon your children." 

And as for you, the Church seems to say, who have 
come into the holy place to praise and bless, be you 
blessed. May the Lord add new blessings to those 
which He has already given you ; may He fill your 
measure aiid that of your children. 

" Blessed be ye of the Lord : Who hath made heaven 
and earth." 

St. John Chrysostom says that " man blesses when he 
praises and exalts those who distinguish themselves by 
riches, glory, and power. These are ephemeral blessings 
which add nothing to what we possess. It is not so 
with the blessings of the Lord." (In Ps. cxiii.) His 
power has made heaven and earth ; may His goodness 
pour upon your fields the dew of one and the fatness of 





w 



Processional 
Cross. 



Processional 
Torch. 



Processional 
Lantern. 




Pax. 

Small plate in some coun- 
tries carried round at Mass to 
communicate the Kiss of Peace. 




Missal. 



Missal Marks. 




Missal Stand. 




Missal Stand 
Cover. 



The Psalms of Vespers. 145 

the other ; may He give you the blessings of time and 
of eternity ! 

' ' The heaven of heavens is the Lord's : but the earth 
hath He given to the children of men." 

Infinity is the dwelling-place of the Lord. When we 
say that He dwells in the highest heaven, it is only to 
make it understood that He there manifests His glory 
to His elect. He has given over to man the earth and 
all the riches which it holds. 

*' The dead shall not praise Thee, O Lord : neither all 
they that go down into hell." 

At the thought of Thy love, Thy greatness, O Lord, 
we make the resolution to remain always Thy children, 
for those that are dead to grace can no longer love Thee 
nor praise Thee. They are like those unhappy souls 
who are plunged into the eternal abyss. 

* ' But we w^ho live bless the Lord : from this time 
forth for evermore." 

Jet us always live in the love of God, in His holy 
gracf^, and we shall delight to sing His praises. The 
divine office will bring us regularly each Sunday to the 
foot of the altar, to thank the Lord for His numberless 
blessings, while we await the happy day which shall open 
to us the gates of the eternal temple, where the light is 
without night, happiness without alloy, and praise shall 
never end. 

7. THE LITTLE CHAPTER. 

The chanting of the psalms is followed by the recita- 
tion of the Little Chapter. This short extract from the 
Holy Book is thus named from the Latin word caputs 
head, because, on the feasts, it is usually taken from 



146 Vespers, 

the beginning of the epistle of the day, and is read by 
the celebrant. We see that among the Jews and the 
early Christians each reunion was accompanied by the 
reading of the sacred books. The assembly listens in 
silence and standing, out of respect for him who pre- 
sides ; if the leader, our head, rises to read the Holy 
Scriptures, should not the faithful rise also to listen to it ? 
The Chapter ended, all respond, Deo G^ratias, as we 
say grace after our repasts. 

CHAPTEE IV.— HYMISr, MAGNIFICAT, AND AN^ 
THEMS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

1. THE HYMN. 

During the night the followers of the impious Arius 
ran through the streets of Constantinople singing hymns 
which breathed forth their pernicious doctrines. The 
Christians w^ere exposed to meeting them and hearing 
them. To fortify their faith by orthodox chants, St. John 
Chrysostom, who then occupied the see of that illus- 
trious Church, added to the divine office certain hymns. 
Their origin in the West goes back to the pontificate of 
St. Ambrose. During the persecution stirred up by the 
Empress Justina, mother of Valerian and a furious Arian, 
the great prelate was in a sense besieged in his church 
with all his people. 

To conquer sleep and weariness, Ambrose composed 
hymns which were sung with the psalms. This singing, 
which delighted the faithful, remained in the divine 
.office-. Other churches, filled with holy jealousy, imi- 
tated that of Milan, and, in remembrance of Ambrose, 
the hymns were called Ambrosian. The doxology — for 



. The Magnificat. 147 

so the last strophe which ends the hymns is called — is 
the chant of victory over the ruins of Arianism ; it is 
also an honorable reparation offered by the Church to 
the Blessed Trinity, and to Our Lord Jesus Christ above 
all, so infamously outraged by the Arians. 

We cannot enter into an explanation of the hymns of 
Vespers ; they vary according to the feasts. We will 
content ourselves with saying a word of that of Sunday. 
The light was created on the first day, which is Sunday. 
On the same day there burst from the tomb that divine 
Light which enlightens the spiritual world of intelli- 
gences, and has become the sun of the heavenly Jeru- 
salem. The hymn celebrates these two great memories.. 
As we thank God for this double blessing, let us sigh: 
for the day when it will be given to us to contemplate^ 
the radiant clearness of the eternal light. 

2. THE MAGNIFICAT. 

The hymn finished, the voice of a child makes itself 
heard, and all the assembly turns tow^ard the altar. 
This chant, short and piercing like a cry, bears the name 
of yersicle, that is to say, return. The Church has 
placed it before the canticles and the prayers of the 
office, to bring us back to meditation so that if our 
mind has up to this time been wandering in outside 
affairs, now at least it may return to God to praise Him 
with Mary and by Mary. 

Magnificat Su?2g Each Day. — The Incarnation is the 
gift of God above all others ; St. Paul calls it ' ' the 
great mystery of godliness." (i. Tim. iii. 16.) Grati- 
tude without limit should respond to infinite mercy. 
But how shall we praise worthily the humiliations and. 



148 Vespers. 

tenderness of a God made flesh ? Even the language of 
angels would be but stammering. What has the Church 
done ? She repeats each day the canticle of the Blessed 
Virgin, that sublime chant in which the august Mother 
of God offers, in the name of humanity, the homage of 
her adoration and gratitude. The Magnificat^ the can- 
ticle of the Incarnation, recalls to us each day that God 
has stripped Himself of His glory to clothe Himself in 
the livery of poor and suffering humanity. 

God is made flesh : this thought alone ravished into 
ecstasy the holy Magdalen and many saints. Let it at 
least arouse in our hearts some feeling of love for a 
God " Who has so loved the world that He has delivered 
His only-begotten Son." 

"Why is this canticle said in the evening? Why at 
Tespers rather than at Compline ? We have already 
seen that it was the evening of the w^orld vv^hen Jesus 
Christ came among us, that then paganism had spread 
everywhere, in minds and hearts, the shadows of its 
darkness. It was also the sixth age of the world. For 
this reason the Magnificat is sung at Vespers, the sixth 
canonical hour of the divine office. 

Ceremonies of the Magnifijiat. — During this canticle, 
taken from the Gospel, the clergy and people stand, out 
of respect for the S'acred word. As at Mass before the 
reading of the Gospel, the sign of the cross is made at 
the first words of Mary's canticle. Then the celebrant, 
leaving his place, goes to the altar, kisses and incenses 
it. The Introit of the Mass has already given us occa- 
sion to study the meaning of these two ceremonies. At 
the Magnificat they have the same significatiom '' Let 
Him kiss me with a kiss of His mouth " (Cant. i. 1) 



The Magnificat. 149 

was the cry of humanity while it awaited the coming of 
the Messias. The priest, representing Jesns Christ, by 
the kiss which he gives the altar, on the spot where the 
bones of the saints are laid, announces to the world 
that its prayers have been heard ; the Word Incarnate 
has given us the kiss of love and reconciliation. {Spicil, 
de JSolesmes^ t. iii. ch. 29.) The earth, thrice blessed at 
this hour, has sent up, even to the throne of God, the 
perfume of an acceptable prayer. God was praised and 
glorified by a God. The odor of the incense poured out 
upon the altar and in all the holy place, again can re- 
call to us the graces given to the holy humanity of Jesus 
Christ, and from Him, as from their source, shed upon 
the world. We should not forget the august Mother of 
God. This incensing is a symbol of the perfumes with 
which her virtues filled Elizabeth's house at Hebron. 
And the priest, leaving his place and mounting the 
steps of the altar, should remind us of Mary, who, says 
the Gospel, " rising up in those days, went into the hill 
country with haste, into a city of Juda " (St. Luke i. 39). 

Explanation of the Magnificat. — "My soul doth mag- 
nify the Lord." Never has purer praise mounted to 
God. All creatures praise the Lord ; none can do so as. 
Mary did. What soul is like to hers ? — full of grace, 
immaculate, more shining than the sun by the splendor 
of her virtues. She alone could say : My soul doth 
magnify the Lord. She alone is without sin and with- 
out the least stain. Since the pure soul is a harmonious 
canticle, celestial praise, let us live in such a manner as 
to be able to say each Sunday: ^'•Magnificat a7iima 
mea Dotninum,''\ 

'^ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." 



150 Vespers. 

Mary well understood the grandeur of the mystery 
wrought in her. Her soul was so filled with God that 
it longed to break the bonds of its earthly tabernacle to 
be united more closely with Him. The blissful emotion 
that Mary felt when the Word descended into her breast 
would have killed her a thousand times over had not a 
miracle preserved her life. What a cause of humilia- 
tion for us ! The same God comes into our heart, and 
it hardly beats more rapidly. We know nothing of those 
joys which inundate the souls of the saints. Tepidity, 
distaste, weariness, these are most frequently our feel- 
ings while Jesus Christ dwells in us. O Mary, give us a 
little of thy love for Jesus, that our souls may always re- 
joice in God our Saviour. 

^Tor He hath regarded the humility of His hand- 
maid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall 
call me blessed." 

God seems to regard and take pleasure only in humil- 
ity, a virtue so powerful as to call down the Son of the 
Eternal God into the bosom of a virgin. How profound 
.it was in Mary ! Let us admire the terms in which 
;she speaks of the sublime dignity to which she was 
elevated. " The Lord hath regarded the humility of His 
liandmaid." What a beautiful model, unhappily little 
followed ! ^' Without speaking of worldly persons, we 
■often hear those that are pious talking complacently of 
the graces which they have received." When they are 
exposed to the breath of flattery and praise, these graces 
are scattered like the dust. " He who humbleth him- 
self shall be exalted." The humble Virgin, who calls 
herself the Lord's handmaid, shall hear all generations 
proclaim her grandeur. The first name lisped by the 



The Magnificat, 151 

child shall be thine, O Mary; later it will console the 
agony of the dying. Everywhere temples will arise in 
thy honor, associations under thy patronage. All ages, 
all conditions will crowd around thy altars. Each gen- 
eration bending the knee will proclaim thee blessed. 

"For He that is mighty hath done great things unto 
me: and holy is His name." 

The dignity to which the title of Mother of God has 
raised Mary merits the praises and gratitude of all the 
centuries. 

St. Thomas says that ."God could, if He would, have 
made more perfect works except the Incarnation, the 
divine maternity, and the beatitude of man, which con- 
sists in the vision of God. His power could make noth- 
ing better, nothing greater, because there could be 
nothing better and greater than God Himself." (P. i. 
qu^st. 25, art. 6.) 

In the harmony of praise which the generations send 
toward Mary's throne heresy mingled its blasphemies 
against the adorable mystery of a Virgin-Mother. 
Nothing shall shake our faith. He Who has wrought 
these marvels is almighty and thrice holy: " Qui potens 
est et sanctum nomen ejus.^'' 

' ' And His mercy is from generation to generation unto 
them that fear Him." 

Mary has just said, " the Lord has done great things 
unto me " ; but the divine mercy, which has deigned to 
stoop even to me, will overflow, throughout the ages, 
upon those who fear God. Humanity is the Lord's great 
family ; all its members will have part in His mercy. 

The earth henceforth will be His kingdom. " Let him 
not despair, then," says St. Bernard, "he who fears the 



152 Vespers, 

judgment of God because of his sins; mercy is for those 
who fear the Lord." 

*'He hath shown strength with His arm: He hath 
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts." 

The greatest work of God, that in which He put 
forth, so to speak, all His power, is, as we have said, 
the Incarnation. When the mystery of the Word made 
flesh was revealed to the love of the angels, and the 
proud spirits refused it their homage, God dispersed 
their rebel hosts, and hurled them into the abyss. His 
chosen people, the Jews, being vain and haughty, did 
not recognize in Jesus Christ, poor and humiliated, the 
redeeming Messias promised to their fathers; the breath 
of God dispersed them to the four points of the compass. 
No longer do they form a people, a race, or a nation. 
This is the dispersion of the Jews prophesied by Mary : 
^^ Dispersit.^^ 

*^He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and 
hath exalted the humble." 

The demons, fallen angels, were the princes of this 
world before the coming of Jesus Christ ; on the altars 
of the false divinities they had really their throne. 
Before the Child in the crib their temples crumbled, and 
the power of Satan was destroyed. 

The Jews are also dethroned princes. Sons of the 
kingdom, elect of God, they merited, by their treachery, 
seeing the gentiles substituted for them. The latter, in 
the person of the centurion and the woman of Chanaan, 
threw themselves humbly at the feet of Our Lord, and 
Jesus Christ, filled with admiration, cried out: "Amen I 
say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. 
And I say to you that many shall come from the east 



The Magnificat, 153 

and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham. Isaac, 
and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children 
of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior dark- 
ness." (St. Matt. yiii. 10, 11.) Thus is accomplished 
the prophecy : "He hath put down the mighty from 
their seat, and hath exalted the humble." 

'* lie hath filled the hungry with good things : and the 
rich He hath sent empty away." 

This verse is the continuation of the preceding one; it 
still alludes to the Jews and gentiles. ''The whelps," 
said the woman of Chanaan, " also eat of the crumbs- 
that fall from their master's table." She represented 
the gentile people, hungry and supplicating for the good 
things of heaven. The favors of God were showered 
upon them in abundance, while the Jews, until then 
filled with the gifts of heaven, were banished from 
before the face of the Lord. 

"He hath upholden His servant Israel: being mindful 
of His mercy." 

How was it that a people so unfaithful were chosen 
by the Lord ? Why had the Messias wdlled to be born 
of this race which He was about to curse ? Because He 
remembered His merciful promises. 

"As He spake unto our fathers: to Abraham and his- 
seed for ever." 

God had promised a saviour to Adam, to Abraham, to 
Jacob, and to David. 

God is faithful to His word; the malice of man could 
not prevent Him from fulfilling it. The second part of 
the verse assures us that the mercy which the Lord 
remembered in His Incarnation should always rest with 
the posterity of Abraham, the father of the believing. 



154 Vespers. 

The true race of Abraham is the Christian people. 
God has chosen it for the child of His love. How have 
we responded to the goodness of the Lord in our own 
case ? By ingratitude when it was not by revolt. 

Listen and see what passes on the earth; you will feel 
a thrill of horror. Why does not Heaven send upon so 
many crimes a new deluge or another rain of fire ? It 
is the reign of mercy, which pardons always : Abraham 
et semini ejus in scecula. 

The Prayer. — The anthem of the Magnificat ended, 
the priest says, "Let us pray," and the assembly turns 
toward the altar, that is, toward the east, and prays, still 
standing. These two circumstances it is important to 
explain. From the beginning of Christianity the 
churches have been so constructed that the priest and 
people turn toward the altar, looking to the east, for 
prayer ; a liturgical arrangement to which Christian art 
has always conformed when circumstances permitted, 
and which is called orientation. The east was the cradle 
of the human race; the terrestrial paradise was placed oq 
that side, according to the testimony of Genesis. (Cor- 
nel, in Gen. ii. 8.) 

Man was expelled thence after his disobedience. On 
this distant shore what can the poor exile do ? He 
loves to turn his eyes toward that point where lay all 
that was dearest to his heart: his land, his family. 
Under the influence of this sentiment so natural to man, 
the Church has caused us to look in the direction of that 
earthly home whence all the children of Adam were 
banished. 

But this gaze, while it wakens our regrets, ought also 
to call forth hope. By the side of the gate of Eden, 



The Magnificat. 155 

guarded by the flaming sword of the seraph, Jesus Christ 
has opened another door which leads to heaven : ' ' Sing 
to God, ye kingdoms of the earth," cries the Prophet. 
*' Sing ye to God, Who mounteth above the heaven of 
heavens to the east." (Ps. Ixvi.) 

As we turn toward this point of the horizon we sigh 
after our future home. (St. Thorn., ii. 2. qusest. 84, 
art. 3.) We seem to say with David: "As the hart 
panteth after the fountains of waters, so doth my soul 
pant after Thee, O God." The east, the witness of the 
happy, days of man's innocence and the glories of the 
Ascension of the Saviour, will seethe same Jesus descend 
on the clouds of heaven, surrounded by angels^ and be- 
come the Judge of the living and the dead. 

'' His feet," says the prophet Zacharias, '^ shall stand 
in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is over 
against Jerusalem toward the east." (Zach. xli. 2.) 
By this practice of her liturgy the Church warns us to be 
like the faithful and vigilant servant, who, never to be 
surprised, waits each hour the return of his master. 
The earthly paradise, the inheritance of heaven, the last 
judgment : what tremendous memories for the pious 
and recollected heart ! 

The Christian congregation, turned toward the east, 
remains standing during the prayer. This custom is 
very ancient in the Church. 

From the beginning she prescribed that the pi-ayers of 
Sundays and during Paschal time should be said stand- 
ing, in token of joy, and kneeling for all the rest of the 
year as a sign of mourning. A passage of St. Jerome's 
shows, the antiquity of this practice. "St. Paul," he 
says, "remained at'Ephesus till Pentecost, the time of 



156 Vespers, 

joy and yictor}', when we bend not the knee, neither bow 
ourselves toward the earth, but when, arisen with Our 
Lord, we raise ourselves toward heaven." {Comment, 
Epist, ad. Epli.) For the same reason the Angelus or, 
during the Paschal time, the Regiyia Coeli^ is on Sun- 
days said standing. 

The Dominus Vobisciim, contrary to the custom in the 
Mass, not only precedes but follows the prayer. Here 
is another reminder of the resurrection of Our Lord. 
When He appeared on Easter Sunday evening to His 
apostles, He saluted them with these words : Pax vdbis ; 
and the gospels tell us that He repeated the words on 
leaving them. (Hugh of St. Victor ; Rational.') 

Benedicamiis Domino. — Many graces have been given 
us during the office which is just ending, and, especially 
in the prayer made by the minister of God in the name 
of all. " Let us bless the Lord," the Church sings by the 
voice of a child ; for from children, the Prophet says, 
God receives the most perfect praise. To praise the Lord 
worthily, let us become like children in innocence and 
simplicity. Some writers believe that these words are 
sung by a child in remembrance of the canticle of the 
three children in the fiery furnace, to whom they have 
been attributed. May our hearts, more than our lips, 
repeat the chant of gratitude : Deo gratias ! Yes, let 
us thank God, Who has permitted us to speak in His 
temple the language of angels ! 

Thanks be to a God dead for us upon the cross, that 
adorable mystery the memory of which we have just been 
celebrating ! Thanks be to God, Who has given us what 
His minister has asked for us in his last prayer ! Yes, 
let us repeat : For ever, thanks be to God ! Deo gratias! 



The Anthems of the Blessed Virgin, 157 

The Commemoration of the Dead. — As members of 
the Church militant, we have just associated ourselves 
with the canticles and the joy of the Church in heaven ; 
before we separate, let us unite ourselves to the sorrows 
of our brethren of the Church suffering. At this moment 
let the thought of the violence of their anguish and the 
sweetness of the ties which unite us to them be i^resent 
in our minds. There are a father, a mother, children, 
brothers, sisters, and friends. Let us offer to God for 
them all the merits which we may have gained during 
the office of Vespers. This last prayer will then fall on 
these poor souls like a merciful dew : '^ Fidelimn aiiimce, 
misericordiam Dei reqiiiescant in pace^'' — "May the 
souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, 
rest in peace." 

3. THE ANTHEMS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

These are four in number : the Alma Redemptoris 
Matei\ the Ave Begina Coelorum^ the Regina Coeli^ and 
the Salve Regina. 

TJie Alma Redemptoris. — This anthem is commonly 
attributed to Herman Contractus, a Benedictine monk, 
in the monastery of St. Gall. He was always remarka- 
ble for a tender piety toward the Blessed Virgin. His 
death occurred toward the year 1054. The Alma Re- 
demptoris is sung from Advent to the Purification. 

The Ave Regina Ccelortuii. — Tradition says that the 
apostles reunited around the dying bed of the Blessed 
Virgin, singing the praises of her who was so soon to 
become their glorious queen : " Hail, Queen of heaven," 
they said. • "Hail, mistress of angels ; hail, thou who 
hast borne the Light of the world. Kejoice, glorious 



158 Vespers, 

Yirgin, most glorious of all God's creatures. Farewell, 
and pray for us." 

This was, according to certain authors, the origin of 
the Ave Regina Cceloriim. It is sung from the Purifica- 
tion to Holy Thursday. 

The Regina C6eZ^. —Under the pontificate of Saint 
Gregory the Great, the city of Rome was decimated by 
a frightful plague. In order to appease the anger of 
God, the holy Pontiff ordered a solemn procession on 
Easter Day, in which the picture of the Blessed Yirgin, 
said to have been painted by St. Luke, was carried with 
pomp and ceremony. 

His confidence was not deceived. Heavenly voices 
were heard in the air which sang : ''Joy to thee, O 
Queen of heaven, alleluia; for He Whom thou wast meet 
to bear, alleluia; as He promised hath arisen, alleluia." 
And the Pope, joining with the angels, cried out : 
'' Pour for us to Him thy prayer, alleluia." 

At that instant was seen, on the castle of Adrian, an 
angel who dried a sword wet with blood, and sheathed 
it. The plague had not another victim. This anthem 
is sung from Holy Saturday to Trinity Sunday. 

The Salve Regina. — ^N'o thing certain is known of the 
author of this anthem. It is commonly attributed to Ad- 
hemar of Monteil, bishop of Puy and member of the 
Council of Clermont, where the first crusade was resolved 
upon. Subsequently he took the cross, and composed 
for the crusaders the Salve Regina. This chant ended 
with the words : "And after this our exile show unto us 
the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus." The last words 
were added by St. Bernard. Sent as legate to Germany, 
he assisted one day in the divine office at Spire. Sud- 



Compline. 159 

denly, under an inspiration, he added, genuflecting 
three times: '^O clement, O pious, sweet Virgin 
Mary" — words which were carved in the marble of the 
basilica, on the. site where St. Bernard had uttered them. 

According to several historians, the holy abbot of Clair- 
vaux had learned these three invocations of the Salve 
Regina from the angels themselves. We will let them 
tell the story. 

"One night the saint was awakened by the sound of 
celestial voices, which sang in the church of the monas- 
tery the praises of God and of the Virgin Mary. He arose 
quickly, and hastened secretly into the church to see 
more closely the marvellous things which were happen- 
ing there. He beheld the Blessed Virgin between two- 
angels, who held in their hands a golded censer and in- 
cense. One of them, taking St. Bernard by the hand, 
led him to the altar, at the right of the Blessed Virgin. 
There he heard the angels singing the Salve Regina 
complete, as we have it now." 

During the chanting of these anthems let us represent 
to ourselves Mary on the night of the crucifixion, con- 
soled by angels and the apostles. May our praises and 
prayers also rejoice her maternal heart ! 

CHAPTEE v.— COMPLINE, AND THE BENEDIC- 
TION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

1. COMPLINE. 

It sometimes happens that the faithful assist at Com- 
pline. To satisfy their piety, we will here give an ex- 
planation of it. 

Compline honors the burial of Our Saviour. We recite 



160 Vespers. 

this ofiSlce close to the sacred tomb. Our heart will find 
there the Blessed Virgin, St. John, Magdalen, and the 
holy women. 

TJie Lesson.— T\iQ religious of St. Benedict gathered 
after Vespers to hear reading from the Holy Scriptures 
and to recite certain psalms ; then they went to their 
rest. This was the origin of Compline. The Church 
soon introduced these prayers into her liturgy. The 
lesson which begins this office recalls the ancient read- 
ing of the Scriptures by the monks. 

TJie Confdeor. — Compline, the last office of the day, 
said at the sepulchre of Jesus Christ, naturally brings 
to the mind the wholesome thought of death. In a 
few moments slumber will close our eyes, an image of 
that other sleep which soon also will close them and 
for ever. It seems very wise in the Church to precede 
this office by the recitation of the Confiteor, and to end 
it with the Credo^ so that if it should be that we should 
pass from the arms of sleep into those of death, we 
might die in faith and repentance. It is good to say the 
Confiteor then with sentiments of the keenest sorrow, 
as if about to appear before the Sovereign Judge. 

The Psalms. — By their number the psalms of Com- 
pline recall the four last things. The words of the first 
psalm are perfectly suitable to the burial of Jesus Christ ; 
the Church says them on Holy Saturday. Already we 
see in them the light of the resurrection. 

" When I called upon Him, the God of my justice 
heard me : when I was in distress. Thou didst enlarge 
me." 

The second psalm is composed of the first six verses 
of the thirtieth psalm, said on the cross by the dying 










im 



Archiepiscopal Cross. 



Crosier. 





Episcopal Ring. 




Pectoral Cross and Chain. Oilstock for Confirmation. 

Bishop's Candlestick. 




Vase for the Holy Oils 
for Bishops. 



Compline » 161 

Christ. The Church has made it the prayer of the * 
Saviour in the tomb. 

At the end of the day, the last it may be of our life, 
from the tomb in which sin has laid us, let us unite 
ourselves to Our Lord, and say with Him : "In Thee, 
O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded : 
deliver me in Thy justice." 

The third psalm shows the reason for this confidence 
of the Just One in the midst of the darkness of the 
tomb, and for that of the just man in the darkness of 
the night : " He that dwelleth in the help of the Most 
High, shall abide in the protection of the God of heaven. 
He shall say unto the Lord : Thou art my upholder 
and my refuge : my God, in Him will I trust." 

We have not forgotten that in olden times, to honor 
the mysteries of the birth and agony of the Saviour, the 
faithful came to pass several hours of the night at the 
foot of the altar. The last psalm of Compline was an 
invitation to the night prayer, like a formula of this 
pious appointment. These holy habits have disappeared. 

But on the mountain, in the desert, in Solitude, there 
are still angels of the nocturnal prayer ; they are our 
ambassadors before Jesus Christ. To this concert of 
praise which rises from the earth, the angels add theirs ; 
when all is silent they praise their God and ours. 

Let us say with the Church : 

"Behold now, bless ye the Lord: all ye servants of 
the Lord. 

' ' Who stand in the house of the Lord : in the courts 
of the house of our God. 

" Lift up your hands by night to the holy places, and 
bless the Lord. 



162 Vespers. 

" May the Lord of Sion bless thee : Who hath made 
heaven and earth." 

The anthem sums up in a cry of distress all the 
prayers of the psalms of Compline: " Have mercy upon' 
me, O Lord, and graciously hear my prayer." 

The Chant of In Manus Tuas.— After the Little 
Chapter there takes place between the faithful a tender 
colloquy, which it suffices to know to taste all its sweet- 
ness and touching simplicity. It is the prayer of a 
child to its father ; a voice pure and young thus begins 
it: " Into thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit." 

The faithful answer: "Into Thy hands, Lord, I 
commend my spirit." 

The choir: "Thou hast redeemed us, Lord, the 
God of truth." 

The faithful : " I commend my spirit." 

The choir : " Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Ghost." 

This doxology is the chant of joy ; but the coming of 
night, the dangers w^hich it brings with it, cast upon the 
Christian's soul a certain melancholy, and instead of 
finishing the Gloria Patri, he pauses to confide himself 
to the mercy of God : " Into Thy hands, Lord, I com- 
mend my spirit." 

The choir: "Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of an 
eye." 

The faithful : " Protect us under the shadow of Thy 
wings." 

What could be more touching than this prayer ? The 
Christian, alarmed by the deceits of the devil, is he not 
like a little child wiio seeks in the arms of his father 
an assured refuge ? This Father so good, Whom he 



Tlie Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. 16S 

loves, leaves him but one desire : to see Him face to 
face in the fatherland of heaven. The chant of the 
Nunc Dimittis translates the burning ardor of the 
Christian soul. 

The Last Chant to Mary. — The anthems of which we 
have spoken, and which ordinarily end Vespers, are 
said at the close of Compline. 

To Mary is sung the last chant of the office, Mary the 
refuge of Christians in their last hour. The Blessed 
Virgin is called the Star of the morning ; it is she who 
has guided our uncertain steps in the dawn of our life ; 
she has warmed our young hearts by the pious prac- 
tices of her worship ; she has pointed out the rocks 
under the feet of her child. For all these blessings 
receive our gratitude, O tender Mother. But thou wilt 
be to thy children still more the star of the morning in 
that great day of eternity which will shine after the 
darkness of the tomb. We come to ask thee to be favor- 
able to us then ; in the midst of the fears of our last 
hour, in the passage from time to eternity, appear to 
our dying eyes like the morning star, harbinger of a 
beautiful day ; like the star of the sea, messenger of a 
happy voyage. 

2. THE BENLDICTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

Following the sorrows of Calvary and the humiliation 
of the tomb, Jesus Christ received the adoration of the 
angels and the saints. 

For the Christian, a traveller here below, after the 
weariness of the way, will come the sweetness of home ; 
after the labors of the day, the reward of his Father. 
At the close of the day, the faithful image of our short 



164 Vespers. 

existence, Benediction repeats all these things to us by 
an exquisite symbolism. 

In the Isle of Patmos, whither persecution had sent 
him, St. John had a vision. Before his wondering eyes 
were unfolded all the splendors of the heavenly Jerusa- 
lem. In the midst of a dazzling light he saw ' ' a great 
multitude which no man could number, of all nations 
and tribes. And they all bore on their foreheads a 
mysterious sign ; they were clothed in white robes, and 
carried palms in their hands. In the sight of the throne 
and the Lamb that was slain, they fell upon their faces, 
and adored God. And another angel came and stood 
before the altar, having a golden censer, and there was 
given him much incense, and it ascended up before 
God." At the same time celestial chants fell upon the 
ear of the apostle. The multitude of the saints repeated : 
*'Amen. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and 
thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and strength to 
our God for ever and ever. Amen." 

St. John saw also an altar of gold, and under the 
altar the souls of those who had shed their blood for 
Jesus Christ. "On the altar were candlesticks, and in 
the midst one like to the Son of man ; clothed in a gar- 
ment down to His feet, girt around with a golden girdle. 
His head and hair were white as snow, and His face 
was as the sun shineth in his power. His feet were 
like unto fine brass as in a burning furnace ; His voice 
was like the sound of many waters ; His eyes like flames 
of fire. In His hand were seven stars, and from His 
mouth came out a sharp two-edged sword." (Apoc. 
i.-viii.) 

After this marvellous account, we ask if this was a 



The Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. 165 

vision stolen from heaven or borrowed from the earth. 
What happens in our churches that has not received 
from the earliest times the impress of the glories of 
heaven ? Are these not the same wonders, above all at 
the hour of Benediction ? A few candles sufficed for 
the celebration of Vespers and Compline, but now be- 
hold they sparkle everywhere, and their light plunges 
us in waves of a mysterious and heavenly brilliancy. 
The mosaics and the marbles of the sanctuary recall 
the gold and white stones which form the walls of the 
city of God. (Tob. xii. 22.) Already we are on thie 
point of crying out with the apostle : * ' I saw the holy 
city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven 
from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her spouse.'^ 
(Apoc. xxi. 2.) 

Before the altar, as in heaven, a great multitude is 
prostrated; all are overwhelmed: they are truly of all 
ranks and all nations; the rich is beside the poor, the 
learned elbow the ignorant. All adore the Lamb that 
was slain. In this crowd the majority wear the white 
robe which is worn at the celestial wedding-feast; the 
purest wool, the spotless snow, the most brilliant sun 
could not give us an idea of the white splendor of a soul 
adorned with grace. These faithful disciples also hold 
a palm in their hands, the palm of martyrdom of which 
the fathers of the Church speak : concupiscence is its 
fire, our passions are the executioners, mortification is 
the sword. 

In the temple, as in heaven, sacred chants arise, chants 
of glory also, of gratitude and of lover The organ re- 
calls to us that ^' voice like the sound of many waters.'^ 
(Apoc. xiv. 12.) And to fill the office of the angels, we 



166 Vespers. 

see children clothed in white; the smoke of their censers 
envelops in a mj^sterious veil the throne of the God of 
the Eucharist. 

The candlesticks meet our eyes, and in the midst of 
the candlesticks, upon His throne of love, the Son of 
man, as He was seen by the beloved apostle. Rend 
yourselves, eucharistic veils; let us see the God of 
our altars clothed in the splendors of His glory ! Let us 
kiss His sacred feet from which pour torrents of light ! 
Let us contemplate His divine face, more splendid than 
thousands of suns; that hand so merciful and always 
open, where are shining seven stars, that is to say, the 
seven sacraments which He gives to relieve our miseries! 
Let us hear that penetrating voice which called the 
world out of nothing. Let us bathe in that stream of 
living w^ater w^hich rises at the altar in the Heart of 
Jesus, and gives life to souls. 

At the sight of the marvels of which he was the wit- 
ness in heaven, the beloved apostle, he who had leaned 
his head familiarly on the breast of Jesus Christ, and 
received the last legacy of His tenderness, fell prostrate, 
filled with holy fear. The priest, who, like St. John, has 
received more especially Mary for his mother; the priest, 
within whose breast in the morning Jesus has lain, see 
him also filled with saintly fear, falling on his knees as 
soon as he approaches his Master, and, after the exam- 
ple of the adoring angels, veiling his face. 

This veil is called a scarf. The scarf is a reminder 
of that drapery which the first Christians took, at the 
hour of prayer, to cover their hands and shoulders, in 
token of supplication. The ancients in the Apocalypse 
wore these draperies, and they were white in color. 



The Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. 167 

Having incensed the Blessed Sacrament three times, 
in honor of the adorable Trinity, the priest raises his 
voice in prayer. 

In the midst of this crowd humbly kneeling, what 
should be his position ? He is standing. This must not 
surprise us : we are in heaven ; the priest visibly repre- 
sents Jesus Christ, and the first martyr saw Jesus Christ 
in heaven '^ standing praying to His Father." (Acts 
vii. 55.) 

Let us say with St. Nilus: "Henceforth let us enter 
into the church with as much respect as if we were 
entering into heaven, and there let our thoughts and 
our words have nothing in them of earth." 

Let us take for our model St. Vincent of Paul. Seeing 
the humble and modest posture which he assumed at 
the altar, one would have said that, transported into 
heaven, he saw with his bodily eyes the adorable person 
of Jesus Christ. Or indeed St. Alphonsus Liguori, 
whose faith was so vividly penetrated at the foot of the 
altar with the presence of the King of angels, that more 
than once he suddenly arose, held out his arms to the 
tabernacle, and cried out: "Behold, how beautiful He 
is ! Love Him with all your hearts." 

The Ostensorium^ in which the sacred host is placed, 
has the form of a sun, because Jesus Christ is a sun; 
His divine rays enlighten minds and warm hearts. If 
we are blind to the faith, let us cry to Him with con- 
fidence : " Master, grant that I may see." If the cold of 
indifference has frozen our heart, let us beg Him to give 
us love. 



Ipart nn.—Zbc Xltur^ical l^ear* 

CHAPTER I.— DIVISION OF TIME IN THE 
CHURCH. 

The liturgical year is divided into different periods : 
Advent, Christmas, Septuagesima, Lent, Easter, and 
Pentecost. Before explaining these divisions of the 
liturgical year, it will be well to speak of the division of 
time in the Catholic Church, and under that head we 
will say what is necessary on the months, weeks, days, 
vigils, feasts, octaves, and ember-days. 

The Months. — The year was originally composed of 
ten months; and as this is the time that elapses between 
one inundation of the Nile and the next, it was supposed 
that this division was borrowed from the Egyptians. 
(Sepp, Vie de Jesus- Christy t. i. p. i. ch. 8.) 

Begun on the 25th of March, at the vernal equinox, 
the year ended on December 25th, at the winter solstice. 
Following their order, the months were called first, 
second, third, and so on. This primitive way of desig- 
nating them remains to the months of September, Octo- 
ber, November, and December, the seventh, eighth, 
ninth, and tenth months of the Egyptian year. Later, 
the course of the sun having been taken as the base of 

168 



Division of Time in the Church. 169 

the division of the year, and this orb making its annual 
revolution in 365 days and some hours, there were added 
to the ancient year two new months, January and Feb- 
ruary. The former opened thQ year, and its name came 
from Janus, adored among the Romans as the principle 
and the end of all things, and for this reason represented 
with two faces. This month seemed to make a saluta- 
tion of farewell to the year just closing, and to look a 
welcome to the new. 

The second month, February, took its name from 
Februa, one of the titles of Pluto, god of the lower 
regions. This was in memory of the sad feasts celebrated 
at that time in honor of the dead and their king. (In 
France this month was long called the month of purga- 
tory.) 

As to the other months, they lost their original appel- 
lations and received others. Mars, the god of war, gave 
his name to the third month, because at this time the 
troops left their winter quarters to enter upon the cam- 
paign. Yenus, or Aphrodite, whose feasts were cele- 
brated in the first three nights of the fourth month, gave 
to it her name, April. May^ which brings to nature her 
pure skies and perfumed flowers, was thus called from 
Maia, the mother of the earth and all the forces which 
animate it. June owes its name to Junius Brutus, who 
made this month illustrious by the expulsion of the 
Tarquins. 

July saw the birth of Julius Cassar, hence its name. 

Augustus, his successor, for the same reason left his 
name to the following month. The four last, why it is 
unknown, preserved their original names of the order 
of their coming, although they are no longer the seventh, 



170 The Liturgical Year, 

eighth, ninth, and tenth months, but the ninth, tenth, 
eleventh, and twelfth months of the year. 

Each one of these twelve months had thirty days, 
which made a year of three hundred and sixty days. 
But as it was really a year of three hundred and sixty- 
five days, the five days that remained were divided 
between January, March, May, July, and October, which 
then counted thirty-one days. But Augustus could not 
endure that his month should be shorter than that of 
his predecessor, and a day was taken from February, the 
sad month of the dead, to be given to August. Example 
is contagious. The Koman astronomers thought that 
the last month of the year should not be shorter than 
the first : they took then a second day from February 
to give to December, and this unlucky montli, doubly 
shortened by these foolish pretensions, counts now ordi- 
narily but twenty-eight days. 

Weeks. — Neither the Greeks nor the Romans knew the 
division of months into weeks. The former divided 
them into three decades, or periods of ten days ; the 
latter into three terms, which w^ere : the Calends, the 
Nones, and the Ides. The first of the month was called 
Calends, from an old Latin word which signifies to call, 
because the people called together were told on that day 
of the feasts which were to be celebrated in that month. 
The second day of the reunion of the people was called 
Nones, or the ninth, because it preceded the Ides by nine 
days. Then the Ides, from the old verb iduo., to divide, 
fell on about the fifteenth. of the month, and divided it 
nearly equally. 

The Church, which in her liturgy speaks the language 
of the Romans, has preserved also the division of the 



Division of Time in the Church, 171 

months as it existed among this people. To-day certain 
acts of the Koman court are still dated the Calends, 
i^ones, and Ides. 

It is truer, however, to say that the division of months 
and weeks was generally known to antiquity. "The 
week," says the celebrated Laplace, "since the highest 
antiquity, in which its origin is lost, comes down with- 
out interruption throughout the centuries, and mingles 
with the successive calendars of different peoples. It is 
very remarkable that it is found the same over all the 
earth. Perhaps it is the oldest and most indisputable 
monument of human knowledge. It seems to indicate 
a common source from which it has spread." {Systeme 
die Monde.) 

What can this source be unless it is the commemora- 
tion of the creation of the world in six days, and of the 
rest of the Creator upon the seventh ? 

Days. — The Orientals were the first who gave to the 
days of the week the names of the planets ; they called 
each day by the name of the planet which presided over 
its first hour. Thus, according to their astronomical 
tables, the sun presided at the first hour of the first day 
of the week ; the moon at the first hour of the second 
day ; Mars at that of the third day ; Mercury over the 
fourth ; Jupiter over the fifth ; "Venus over the sixth, 
and Saturn over the seventh. Hence it followed that the 
first day was consecrated to the sun, the second took the 
name of the moon, and so on with the others. 

However, from the time of the apostles, the week-days 
had names exclusively Christian. St. John already calls 
the first day "the Lord's day" (Apoc. i. 10). The 
others were designated under the name of ferias : 



173 The Liturgical Year. 

second, third, fourth feria, beginning with Sunday. 
The seventh feria kept its name of JSahbatiwi, day of the 
Sabbath. 

The word feria comes from the Latin feriare, to im- 
molate, or feriari^ to rest one's self, and designated 
among the Komans those days of sacrifice when business 
was suspended. The Christians, for whom all days with- 
out distinction should be consecrated to the worship of 
God and be ferias by the cessation of sin, called all the 
days of the week ferias. *'The Christians," says Ori- 
gen, " consider all days like days of the Lord, and even 
like the day of the Pascb, because every day thq 
heavenly Lamb immolates Himself for them and is eaten 
by them."" {Horn. x. in Gen,) Each day of the week re- 
calls to Christians some pious mystery. Sunday was the 
witness of the glories of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 
and the miracles of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon 
the apostles. It was on Sunday that God created light ; 
^' in Christianity," says Bellarmin, " this day honors the 
double birth of Jesus Christ,* that of the Church, and the 
creation of the world." Tlie Holy Trinity then has a 
just title to receive on that day the homage of man 
•which the ancient Church has consecrated to it. Has 
not the first day of the week been illumined by the 
splendors of creation, the resurrection of the Son, and 
the descent of the Holy Ghost ? 

Monday was consecrated to the consolation of the 
dead, as All Souls' follows All Saints' day ; Tuesday to 
the honor of the angels, and especially to the angel 
guardians ; Wednesday was for a long time dedicated to 

* His birth at Bethlehem, which occurred on Sunday ; His 
birth into the glorious life on Easter Sunday. 



Division of Time in the Church. 173 

the holy apostles Peter and Paul, as the day, follow- 
ing tradition, commemorative of their arrival in Rome 
and their glorious martyrdom. St. Joseph has replaced 
the holy apostles. To Thursday is attached the re- 
membrance of the Blessed Eucharist. Especially since 
the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi, this day 
seems destined to be a continual octave of the mystery 
of our altars, as Sunday is the unceasingly renewed oc- 
tave of the feast of Easter. 

Friday is consecrated to the Passion of Our Lord, and 
Saturday to the Blessed Virgin. If the Church honors 
the day of the martyrdom of her children, could she for- 
get the sorrows of Mary on the day after the passion ? 
At the foot of the cross, feeling in her mother's heart 
the steel-clad points of the nails and lance, the bitter- 
ness of the blasphemies, and of the gall offered to drink, 
she was more than martyr : this is the expression of 
the holy doctors. The solitude of the following day, the 
absence of her Jesus, the memory always before her 
eyes of His passion, His death and burial, pierced her 
torn heart with a new sword, (Alexander de Hales, q. 
iii., Bum. TJieol. qucest. ult,) 

Vigils, — The Christians formerly passed the night 
preceding a solemn feast in prayer in the church ; this 
holy practice bore the name of vigil, or watch. Several 
motives recommended it to the piety of the faithful. 
During the night th^ Word of God was made flesh ; dur- 
ing the night He came into the world ; during the night 
He will come again to judge mankind. Grave abuses 
led to the suppression of these holy meetings for noc- 
turnal prayer, the vigil of feasts. That of Christmas, 
by a privilege easily understood, was alone excepted. 



174 The Liturgical Year, 

But the name of vigil was always retained for the day 
that preceded a feast, and most frequently the primitive 
fast was preserved. 

The vigils of primitive institution, and which for 
this reason enjoy the privilege of never being omitted, 
are : Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost. 
Otliers have been instituted later for certain feasts of 
the Blessed Virgin and the saints. These are : the As- 
sumption, All Saints, the IN'ativity of St. John the Bap- 
tist, the feasts of the apostles, and the feast of St. Law- 
rence. All vigils supposed a fast and abstinence. 

Ecclesiastical discipline has varied on this question, 
yielding to the needs of people and time ; in America 
to-day fast and abstinence are practised on the vigils 
of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, the Assumption, and 
All Saints. All other vigils are observed without fast 
or abstinence, and they are confined to the office which 
is assigned to them. 

According to the way we keep them the vigils render 
the feasts more solemn. By mortification they make 
us compassionate the trials of the saints during their 
earthly pilgrimage ; they say to us that to be glorified 
with them it is necessary to share their suffering, and 
that penitence is the gate of heaven. (Alcuin, Be Para- 
sceve.) 

Feasts. — The word feast comes from the Qveok festia^ 
the domestic hearth, family reunion, from whence the 
name of festival given to the repast which accompanies 
these reunions. Among the Christian feasts some are 
movable, that is to say, that the day upon which they 
fall varies ; of these are Easter, Pentecost, Corpus 
Christi, Trinity. All the others are celebrated each year 



Division of Time in the Church, 175 

on the same elate ; for this reason they are called im- 
movable. 

Cardinal feasts are those which are followed by a cer- 
tain nnmber of Sundays, such as Epiphany, Easter, 
and Pentecost ; it is upon these that all the plan of the 
divine office of these Sundays turns. Feasts were primi- 
tively celebrated upon the days on which they fell. We 
have now in America but six holy-days of obligation ; 
these are: the Circumcision, Ascension of Our Lord, 
the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, All Saints, 
the Immaculate Conception, and Christmas day. Three 
others, under .the name of transferred feasts, are cele- 
brated on the following Sunday : Epiphany, Corpus 
Christi, Sts. Peter and Paul ; the others are suppressed. 
The Church nevertheless, as in those happier days 
when the faithful united in the temples to keep the 
feasts, still offers the sacrifice especially for them. 

The feasts are not all celebrated with the same solem- 
nity. Their variety is compared by St. Denis to the 
celestial hierarchy. For the saints who reign in heaven 
are not the same in merit and in glory. " One,'' says St. 
Paul, speaking of the glory of the elect, " is the glory 
of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and a-nother 
the glory of the stars. For star differeth from star in 
glory.*' (I. Cor. xv. 41.) 

Thus, according to the renown of the saints, the 
Church on earth has established a rite more or less, 
solemn to honor their memory each year. Feasts are 
doubles^ semi-doubles, or simples. The first are so 
called because they had originally a double office, that 
of the feria and that of the feast. The second have a 
demi-office, half of the feast and half of the feria. The 



176 The Liturgical Tear. 

third have a simple memento in the office of the day, by 
the prayer and the lesson of Matins. 

Octaves. — The eighth day which follows certain feasts, 
is celebrated as solemnly as the feast itself, under the 
name of Octave, and the intervening days are called 
^' days of the octave." 

The octaves, intended to solemnize the greatest feasts, 
originated with the Jews. Solomon willed that the 
dedication of the temple should last eight days ; the 
same thing occurred at its re-establishment under Zoro- 
babel. Follewing the steps of the old law, the Church 
celebrated the most solemn feasts with octaves. In the 
first place Easter was prolonged for an entire week. 
Following came the octave of Pentecost, then that of 
Christmas, and the Epiphany. The feasts of saints had 
none until the eighth century. 

The octave was in the beginning but a repetition of 
the feast, and only on the eighth day. The intermedi- 
ate days made no memorial of the feast ; later they had 
an office, and the solemn feasts, even of saints, lasted 
eight days. As to its meaning, octave is simply the 
eighth. 

The number eight, in the language of the fathers, 
represented the eternal day of judgment and the resur- 
rection of the flesh ; in other words, the eternity which 
follows the seventh period of the world. The intention 
of the Church is to carry our thoughts to the unending 
feasts of heaven. The vigil, with its severe penitence, 
has associated us with the laborious life of Oar Lord 
and His saints ; the octave leads us to assist at their 
triumphs. 

Five octaves are established to honor Our Lord ; they 



wmrmw^ 




XXlll. 



Division of Time in the Church, 177 

are : Christmas, the Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, and 
Corpus Christi. Three feasts of the Blessed Virgin have 
octaves : the Nativity, Assumption, Immaculate Con- 
ception. The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the 
martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul, All Saints, the feasts 
of St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist, the Holy Inno- 
cents, St. Lawrence, have their particular octave. It is 
the same with the dedication of a church and the feast 
of a patron. 

Emher-days. — This name is given to the fast which 
the Church observes at the beginning of each one of the 
four seasons of the year. In instituting them the 
Church wished in the first place to oppose the practice 
of penitence to the follies and disorders of the Baccha- 
nalia, which the pagans renewed four times a year. Be- 
sides this, God has always shown a holy jealousy for the 
first-fruits of everything : to Him belongs the Sunday, 
the first day of the w^eek ; to Him then should be con- 
secrated the first week of each season, as well as the 
first day of the year. The days of the week chosen for 
ember-days are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. 
From the beginning of Christianity these days were 
sanctified by fasting and assistance at the holy sacrifice, 
because of the memories which they recall : Wednesday 
saw the infamous sale of Judas ; Friday was the day of 
Jesus Christ's death ; Saturday that of His rest in the 
sepulchre. If we consider the number of days conse- 
crated to the fast of the four seasons, twelve a year, it 
is impossible to doubt that the Church had another end 
in view than the expiation by penitence of the sins of 
which we are guilty — one day of expiation for each 
month of the year. (St. Leonard, Sermon on the fast of 



178 The Liturgical Year, 

the tenth month.) To mortification the Church Joins 
prayer, to call down the dew of heaven upon the fruits 
of the earth, and to ask of God priests according to her 
heart. The ordinations take place on the Saturdays of 
the ember-days, and the Church has thought it suita- 
ble to beg, after the example of the apostles, by prayer 
and fasting, the light of the Holy Spirit in such an im- 
portant action. Among these levites whom the hand of 
the bishop is to consecrate for eternity, there is one, 
perhaps, who will one day have the guidance of our 
soul ; let us invoke for him all the apostolic graces. 



CHAPTER II.— THE TIME OF ADVENT AND OF 
CHRISTMAS. 

1. ADVENT TIME. 

The Four Weeks of Advent. — The time of preparation 
for the sweet mysteries of the birth of Our Lord is 
called Advent, that is to say, the coming. Its four 
weeks recall to Christians the four thousand years of 
prayers and sighs which preceded the coming of the 
Messias. 

The Anthems of Advent. — Seven days before Christ- 
mas is sung at Vespers an anthem called " of Advent," 
because it begins with this exclamation ; it is a cry sent 
out to the Messias. It is sung at Vespers ; for was it 
not in the evening of the world that the Messias came ? 
It is sung at the Magnificat to show that the Saviour for 
Whom w^e wait will come to us through Mary. (Gue- 
ranger, Tlie Liturgical Year.) Again, the repetition of 
the anthem expresses well the ardent sighs, constantly 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas. 179 

renewed, of the patriarchs ; the Introit has already 
offered us the same figure. 

Practices of Advent, — There remain among us to-day 
few traces of Advent as it was observed by our fathers. 
They sanctified it by prayer, fasting, and abstinence.. 
The old-time penitence is always practised in monas- 
teries, but among the faithful the Church has preserved. 
but its symbols. During Advent she clothes herself in. 
purple, and this sign of mourning shows us how the- 
Church unites herself to the desire of Israel, who waited 
in sackcloth and ashes the coming of the Messias. As- 
a sign of widowhood it expresses the sorrow of the 
Church, who awaits that Spouse Whose absence costs- 
her heart so dear. 

Marriages are not celebrated in Advent, their worldly 
joy being little in agreement with the holy tears and 
chaste pangs of penitence. Moreover it is toward other 
nuptial feasts that the Church turns the eyes of her 
children : these are those of the eternal marriage, begua 
here below in the eucharistic banquet. The Alleluia, 
which continues its tender harmony in these days of 
penitence, should make us sigh for the joys of the fes- 
tival of the Lamb. 

Except on feast-days, the two angelical hymns, the 
Gloria ill excelsis and the Te Deum, are not sung till 
the great day when they are chanted at the crib of 
the infant God. The Ite, Missa est, is replaced by the 
call to prayer : ^'' Benedicamiis Domino " — "Let us bless 
the Lord " ; for we cannot pray too much in these holy 
days of waiting. 

Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December Sth. — 
The deluge of iniquities which has inundated the world 



180 The Liturgical Year. 

for four thousand years is about to end ; Mary, the heav- 
enly dove, brings the good tidings to the world. The 
dark night which has weighed upon humanity will soon 
see its shadows scattered ; she whom the Holy Spirit 
compared to the dawn will appear in this holy season, 
like a forerunner of the Sun of justice. The star which 
precedes the morning shines upon the horizon. A thou- 
sand times blessed be the day which brings us so much 
joy ! May all Christians hail with gratitude the solem- 
nity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary ! 

Faith teaches us that at the moment when God united 
the soul of Mary, which He had just created, to the 
body which it was to animate, not only had that soul 
not contracted in the least the stain which till then had 
disfigured every human soul, but it was filled with grace 
tremendous in extent and ineffable in beauty. A feast 
in honor of this glorious mystery existed in the East in 
the sixth century. The Church of Lyons introduced 
this solemnity into France. The definition of the Im- 
maculate Conception as a dogma was made under the 
pontificate of Pope Pius IX., December 8, 1854. 

The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception.— 
The venerable Ursula Benincasa, on the day of the puri- 
fication, saw Mary, who appeared to her clad in a white 
robe and a blue mantle. She held the infant Jesus pressed 
against her heart, and a multitude of virgins, clothed 
like their glorious queen, formed her train. Our Lord 
showed her the wish that He had of seeiug a congrega- 
tion of virgins arise, who, placing themselves under the 
invocation of Mary Immaculate, should take the habit in 
which His Mother was then clad. He promised the 
greatest graces to those who should be faithful in follow- 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas. 181 

ing the rules of this new Congregation. Ursula begged 
Our Lord to shower His favors upon those who, living in 
the world and devoted to the Blessed Virgin, should 
live chastely according to their state and wear a blue 
scapular. To prove to her that her prayer was heard, God 
showed her, while this blissful vision lasted, angels cloth- 
ing a great number of Christians with this holy habit. 

The indulgences attached to the blue scapular of the 
Immaculate Conception are innumerable. ^' As for me,'* 
says St. Alphonsus Liguori, ' ' I would take all scapulars. 
But above all you must know that the scapular of the 
Immaculate Conception, which is blessed by the Theatine 
Fathers, besides all its partial indulgences, has all the in- 
dulgences granted to whatever religious order, whatever 
devotion, whatever person there can be. And particu- 
larly that by reciting six times Pater ^ Ave, and Gloria^, 
in honor of the Most Holy Trinity and Mary Immaculate, 
can be gained each time all the indulgences of Rome, 
of Portiuncula, of Jerusalem, and of Galicia, which 
amounts to 533 plenary indulgences, without speaking of 
partial indulgences, which are innumerable." {Glories 
of Mary, These indulgences have been confirmed by 
Gregory XVI. in a decree dated July 12, 1845.) 

Translation of the Holy House of Loretto, December 
10th, — This feast up to this time is not of obligation in 
the universal Church, but it is celebrated in many coun- 
tries, and has for its object thanksgiving to God for the 
blessing with which He has enriched the West, when, in 
order to compensate it for the loss of the holy sepulchre. 
He miraculously transported to Catholic ground the 
house in which the Blessed Virgin received the message 
of the angel, and where the Word was made flesh. 



183 The Liturgical Year, 

Many of our readers may be ignorant of this marvel- 
lous event, which we will repeat here. It was under the 
pontificate of Celestine Y., and when the Christians had 
entirely lost the holy places in Palestine, that the little 
house wherein was wrought the mystery of the Incarna- 
tion in the womb of Mary was transported by angels 
from Nazareth into Dalmatia, or Sclavonia, to a little 
mountain called Tersato. 

The miracles which were wrought every day in this 
holy house, the legal investigation which the deputies of 
the country went to Nazareth to make, to prove the 
translation into Dalmatia, as well as the universal con- 
viction of the people who came to venerate it from all 
parts of the world, seemed to be incontestable proofs of 
the truth of the miracle. Nevertheless, God wished to 
give another, which should have, in a sense, Dalmatia 
and Italy for witnesses. After three years and seven 
months the holy house was transported across the Adri- 
atic Sea to the territory of Recanati, into a forest belong- 
ing to a lady called Loretta ; and this event threw the 
people of Dalmatia into such desolation that it seemed 
that they would not survive it, and to console them- 
selves they built upon the same spot a church conse- 
crated to the Mother of God, over the door of which 
they put this inscription: '-^ Hie est locus in quo fait 
sacra Domus Nazarena quce nunc Recineti partihus 
coUtur,'''' At the same time there were many inhabitants 
of Dalmatia who came to Italy to fix their residence 
near to the holy house. 

This new translation made such stirring of Christian 
hearts that a multitude of pilgrims came from nearly 
every part of Europe to Recanati, in order to honor the 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas. 183 

house now called ''of Loretto." To prove more and more 
fully the truth of this event, the inhabitants of the prov- 
ince sent first to Dalmatia, and then to Nazareth, six- 
teen persons who were the best qualified for the service, 
who made in these places new investigations ; but God 
deigned to demonstrate the certainty Himself by renew- 
ing twice in succession the miracle of the translation even 
in the territory of Recanati. For at the end of eight 
months, the forest of Loretto being infested with high- 
waymen who stopped the pilgrims, the house was trans- 
ported to a point a mile further, and placed on a little 
height which belonged to two brothers of the family of 
Antici ; and when these brothers had taken arms against 
one another in dispute over the division of the offerings 
of the pilgrims, the house was transferred to an enclo- 
sure a little further removed, and in the midst of the 
public way, where it has remained and where has since 
grown up the village called Loretto. 

2. CHRISTMAS TIME. 

The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin^ December 
ISth. — The origin of this feast goes back to the tenth 
council of Toledo, in 656. The bishops who composed 
this holy assembly having found the ancient custom of 
celebrating the Annunciation on the 25th of March 
somewhat inconvenient, seeing that most frequently this 
joyous solemnity, coming in passion time, was trans- 
ferred to the paschal season, and that these two liturgic 
periods offered too great contrasts with the mystery of 
the Word made flesh, they decreed that henceforth the 
Spanish Church should celebrate a feast in memory of 
the Annunciation eight davs before Christmas, a solemn 



184 The Liturgical Year. 

feast which should serve as a preparation for the birth 
of Our Lord. Later the Spanish Church wished to cele- 
brate the feast of the Annunciation on the 25th of March 
with the universal Church, but nevertheless preserved a 
vestige of the custom which she had observed for several 
centuries. She ceased to celebrate the Annunciation of 
Mary on the 18th of December, but turned the piety of 
the faithful to the consideration of the divine Mother 
during the days which immediately preceded her deliv- 
ery. A new feast was established under the title of the 
Expectation of the Blessed Virgin. 

^^This feast," says Dom Gueranger, "which is called 
Our Lady of the 0, because of the great anthems chanted 
on these days, is celebrated in Spain with great devotion. 
During the eight days which it lasts a solemn Mass is 
sung early in the morning, to which all women with 
child, of whatever rank they may be, make it a duty to 
assist, to honor Mary in her waiting, and to beg her help 
for themselves." {Liturgical Year, "Advent.") 

History of the Feast of Christr)ias, December 26th. — 
The birth of Jesus Christ in the stable of Bethlehem, His 
adoration by the poor shepherds, are the objects of this 
feast. 

Its French name of Noel, often used also in English, 
especially in old English hymns and carols, is the abridg- 
ment of the word Emmanuel, God with us. The proph- 
et had given this name to the Messias, and this great 
solemnity of the Church saw its accomplishment. In 
the popular language the word Emmanuel did not re- 
main unaltered ; the feast of Emmanuel soon became 
the feast of Nouel, then Noel. It was at first celebrated 
with the feast of the Epiphany, January 6, for it was 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas. 185 

believed that Jesus Christ was born then. Pope Julius 
I. having instituted the most exact researches, it was 
discovered that this great event took place on December 
25th, and from that time the feast was transferred to 
that date; the Epiphany continued to be solemnized on 
January 6th. This change goes back to the beginning 
of the fourth century. 

This explains a peculiarity of the octave of Cliristmas, 
as old as the feast itself ; although it is an octave of the 
first order, it admits solemnities which are excluded 
from the octaves of Easter and Pentecost. The reason 
for this goes back to what has just been said. When 
the birth of the Saviour was celebrated gn January 6th, 
the 26th of December honored St. Stephen, the 27th St. 
John, and the 28th the Holy Innocents. When the 
Nativity was finally fixed as the 25th of December, it 
was thought best not to remove these feasts. It is then, 
in the octave of the Epiphany that the original octave 
of the Nativity of Our Lord is to be seen ; hence it en- 
joys the same privileges as the other two great feasts of 
the year, because we count the Sundays after Epiphany, 
instead of those following Christmas, as those after 
Easter and Pentecost are counted. (Gueranger, The 
LiUirgical Yeai\ "Christmas.'") 

Communion was for a long time obligatory at Christ- 
mas and Pentecost as at Easter. As a sign of the great 
joy brought to the earth by the' birth of Emmanuel, 
abstinence is done away with on Friday when the feast 
falls upon that day. 

The Feast of Christmas at Rome. — On this day the 
Pope blesses the sword and ducal hat which he sends to 
the Christian princes who have best served the cause of 



186 The Liturgical Year. 

the Church. At Santa Maria Maggiore, which has the 
honor of possessing the holy manger, this relic is ex- 
posed all day. At St. Anastasia is offered to the venera- 
tion of the faithful the veil of the Blessed Virgin and 
St. Joseph's chlamys, or cloak, in which the infant 
Jesus was wrapped at the moment of His birth. 

In the Church of the Agonizing is exposed a piece of 
the swaddling-bands of Our Lord ; at Santa Maria in 
Trastevere is shown near the high altar the place from 
which a fountain of oil miraculously burst forth at the 
birth of the Saviour. Let us add that at St. Lorenzo, 
beyond the walls, on the. feast of St. Stephen, two rocks 
of his stoning are exposed. On the feast of St. John, at 
St. John Lateran, is sliown the cup from which, at the 
order of Domitian, the apostle drank poison which did 
him no harm ; the tunic with which he raised from the 
dead the emperor's ministers who had tasted the same 
poison ; and the chains with which he was bound w^hen 
he was brought from Ephesus to Eome. 

The Three Masses of Christmas. — "The Catholic 
faith recognizes three substances in Jesus Christ," says 
Innocent III.: "the divinity, the flesh, and the soul. 
The Scriptures speak of the three births of the Son of 
God : His divine birth in the bosom of His Father ; His 
birth according to the flesh of the Virgin Mary ; His 
spiritual birth in our souls. The mystery of these three 
births is represented to us by the three Masses which 
the Church says. The eternal birth of the Word is com- 
pletely concealed from us ; the prophet says of it : 
^ Who could speak it ? ' To express these impenetrable 
mysteries, the first Mass is said during the darkness of 
the night. The temporal birth of the Saviour is partly 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas. 187 

concealed and partly known ; hidden as to the manner, 
known as to the fact. The hour of dawn, consecrated 
to the second Mass, well recalls this mixture of light 
and darkness. His spiritual birth is fully light ; it is 
shown by the actions of him who has become the taber- 
nacle of Jesus Christ. These mysteries are expressed in 
the third Mass, celebrated during the day." (Inn. III., 
8erm. iii., in Nativ. Domini.) 

Since this is the meaning of the Christmas liturgy, at 
the first Mass let us adore with the angels the eternal 
birth of the Word ; at the Mass at dawn let us prostrate 
ourselves with Mary and Joseph before the divine in- 
fant in the crib ; at the Mass of the day let us join 
with the shepherds, and make Jesus the offering of a 
heart in which He may be born. 

Christmas Cribs. — The origin of this devotion, prac- 
tised in the bosom of many Christian families, and in 
the churches, goes back to St. Francis of Assisi. Three 
years before his death the saint wished to celebrate at 
Grecio the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord with all 
possible solemnity, in order to excite men to the most 
lively devotion for this mystery. But, to avoid all ad- 
verse criticism, he asked the permission of the Sovereign 
Pontiff, and having obtained it, he had a crib prepared, 
in which he placed hay and an ox and an ass. 

Then the brothers were called together ; the people on 
their part crowded there ; the forest re-echoed with 
cries of joy ; the numerous and shining candles lent 
their light to the holy night, which passed in chants of 
praise and sweetest hymns. The man of God remained 
close to the crib, penetrated with the tenderest piety, 
his face bathed with tears and his soul inundated with 



188 The Liturgical Tear. 

happiness. Solemn Mass was celebrated on the crib it- 
self. A worthy soldier, deserving of credence, declared 
that he saw sleeping in the crib an infant of wonderful 
beauty, and Francis clasping him in his arms, trying to 
•awaken him from his slumber. This sweet story is from 
St. Bonaventure, author of the life of St. Francis. 
{Legende de St, Frangois^ ch. x.) 

Feast of the Circumcision^ January 1st. — This is 
celebrated on the octave of Christmas. On this day 
Our Lord received on His innocent flesh the mark of 
sinful man and the seal of the children of Abraham. 
At the same time He received the thousandfold blessed 
name of Jesus. "Why is it,-' asks St. Bernard, "that 
He is circumcised and still called Jesus, that is to 
say. Saviour ? For circumcision is much more for him 
who needs salvation than for him who saves others. 
But this connection of the holy name of Jesus with the 
circumcision is not without its great mystery. It was 
in the first place to show that this child had not come 
to save except by blood ; then to efface, by the glories 
of this august name, the apparent ignominy of the cir- 
cumcision, as the opprobrium of the cross was in some 
sort effaced by the magnificent inscription over it : 
' Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.' In fact, if we 
reflect upon this we shall find that the divine wisdom 
has nearly always joined in the mysteries of our re- 
demption great abasement with grandeur, and humilia- 
tion with exaltation. If the Son of God takes an earthly 
mother, it is a virgin-mother, incomparably purer than 
the cherubim and seraphim. If He is born in a stable, 
He is there announced by angels, recognized by the 
shepherds, adored by the Magi, and feared by the 



Tlu Time of Advent and of Christmas, 189 

proudest of kings. If He is forced to fly into Egypt, 
miracles make Him respected there, while the blood of 
the innocents renders His birth celebrated in all Judea. 
Even His death, wholly infamous as it appears, is made 
glorious by an eclipse of the sun and by the convulsion 
of all nature. It is then for the same reason that He is 
called Jesus in His circumcision. This name makes us 
consider Him, not as a sinner, but as He who taketh 
away the sins of the world." (Serm. on the Circumci- 
sion.) 

We will speak at greater length of this blessed name 
when we consider the feast established to honor it. 

Neiv Years Day. — The feast of the Circumcision 
opens the civil year. This has not always been the case. 
In Europe generally, in the fifth century the year began 
on the 1st of March ; in the eighth century the year 
opened on Christmas day; in the tenth century on 
Easter. Christian ideas were then dominant in the 
world. Charles IX., by an edict dated from the chateau 
of Koussillon, in Dauphiny, in the year 1564, ordered 
that it should begin on January 1st. There is some- 
thing touching in the union of the first day of the 
year with the holy name of Jesus. That the days that 
follow may be blessed to us, the Church has marked 
the first hour with the name of salvation and redemp- 
tion. 

A tradition carries back to Tatius, one of the first 
kings of Rome, the custom of gifts made upon this day. 
The courtiers oJQCered to this prince branches of vervain, 
gathered in the w^oods sacred to Strenia, the goddess of 
health, with the intention of calling down upon him her 
protection in the course of the year just beginning. 



190 The LUurgical Year. 

The offering having brought happiness, the custom be- 
came general. Each year the people went into the 
woods of Strenia to gather vervain, considered by the 
ancients as a symbol of happiness, health, and affection, 
and it was offered to those whom they loved. To these 
gifts of good augury others were soon added of meal, 
figs, a little piece of money, or a date covered with a 
light layer of gold-leaf — an expressive wish to the per- 
son who received the offering, for by it was shown the 
desire to call down upon him in the course of the coming 
year sweetness and abundance in the things necessary 
to life. These primitive presents were replaced by pro- 
visions of all sorts, by clothing, furniture, and pieces of 
gold or silver. The name of Strense was none the less 
left to the more delicate offerings. 

Feast of the Epiphany^ January QtJi. — This glorious 
date recalls Our Lord adored by the kings of the East. 
The feast instituted in honor of this mystery was for a 
long time blended with that of Christmas, under the 
name of Theophany, manifestation of God. It took that 
of Ejnphany, or manifestation on manifestation^ when 
the two solemnities were separated. This was really the 
second manifestation of the Saviour. The first had been 
to the Jewish people, represented by the shepherds; the 
second was for the Gentiles, the first-fruits of whom were 
brought to Jesus in the persons of the Magi. Following 
a venerable tradition, to which the painters of the cata- 
combs gave an important authority, the Magi were three 
in number. ''These," says Dom Gueranger, "are the 
veritable ancestors of the gentile Church. One was from 
Chaldea, the second from Arabia, the third from Ethio- 
pia. They represented at the crib the three races of 



wmmwm 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas, 191 

humanity offering their homage to the new-born King." 
{Tlie Liturgical Year, "Christmas.") 

The Gospel speaks of their presents: gold, frankincense, 
and myrrh. This mysterious number honored in the 
first place the Blessed Trinity in the Person of the Word 
Incarnate, but it also prophesied the triple character of 
the divine infant. He had come into the world to reign, 
and gold witnessed to His supreme power; He was to 
exercise a sovereign priesthood — frankincense, which 
should smoke in the priest's hand, was a present worthy 
of Him; His death would open heaven — myrrh, a perfume 
reserved in ancient times to embalming, was there for 
the burial of the divine victim. " Where," asks St. Leo, 
" had they discovered the inspired nature of these gifts, 
these men who had not yet seen Jesus ? While the star 
shone on the eyes of their bodies, more penetrating still 
did the ray of God's light illumine their hearts." (Serm. 
on the Epiph.) 

As to their names of Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, 
their use is too recent for us to adopt them. It Avould 
be as dijSacult to sustain the responsibility of doing so as 
it would seem to us bold to attack them directly. Their 
bodies, transported from Persia to Constantinople, and 
later from Milan to Cologne, rest to-day in the cathedral 
of that great metropolis, in a magnificent shrine, the 
most beautiful monument of the goldsmith's skill of the 
Middle Ages. (Gueranger.) 

The date of the 6th of January recalls to the love of 
the Church still other memories. On this day Our Lord, 
baptized by John, heard the voice of the Father proclaim- 
ing His divinity; on this same day He worked His first 
miracle in Cana, and St. Augustine tells us that the 6th 



192 llie Liturgical Year, 

of January was also the day of the miraculous multipli- 
cation of the five loaves in the desert. {Serm, i., de 
Upipli.) 

All these events make this feast the great manifesta- 
tion of the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and fully' justify its 
name of Epiphany. However, the preference of the 
Eoman Church is for the mystery of the calling of the 
gentiles. Nothing is more natural, since that mystery 
is supremely glorious for her. For lias not Rome, the 
capital of paganism, become the head of Christianity by 
the vocation which on that day called all the nations to 
the light of the true faith ? 

The two other mysteries, the baptism of Our Lord and 
the wedding at Cana, have nevertheless a memorial in 
the ofiice. Besides this the Church has consecrated a 
particular day to their celebration : the octave of the 
Epiphany to the baptism of Our Lord, and the second 
Sunday after Epiphany to the wedding at Cana. 

The miracle, of the multiplication of the loaves is not 
mentioned in the liturgy except in Lent. 

In spite of the solemnity of this feast, its vigil is not 
a fast. We have not forgotten that formerly it made one 
feast with Christmas. Since their separation, the mem- 
ory of their union has been preserved by a vigil and fast 
in common. 

It would seem that the celebration of marriages, 
forbidden during the Advent period of mourning and 
penitence, would be resumed after the joyous feast of 
the ISTativity. Why is the prohibition prolonged until 
after the octave of the Epiphany ? Again, it is a trace of 
the ancient discipline. Christmas being celebrated on 
the 6th of January, the solemnizing of marriages was 




Memorial Tablet. 





Bishop's Throne 



Pulpit. 





Prtedieu. 



Station of the Cross. 





Statue. 



Confessional. 



ITTmiiTB 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas, 193 

banished from the liturgy to the end of the octave, Jan- 
uary 13th. 

The kings of France, up to the fourteenth century, 
presented as the offering of this day gold, incense, and 
myrrh. In the Middle Ages the faithful offered them 
also, to have them blessed, and they then preserved them 
as a pledge of heavenly favors. This pious custom still 
exists in Germany. 

Some authors have thought that they saw in the popu- 
lar family festival of Epiphany a relic of paganism. It 
would seem to us more natural that our fathers wished 
to symbolize in the festival the wedding at Cana, and 
in the old custom of the king of the Twelfth-Mght 
cake, the kings at the crib. A custom preserved in the 
mountains of Scotland comes to the support of this 
opinion. Instead of the bean in the Twelfth-Night cake, 
these people use a bit of myrrh, a grain of incense, and a 
piece of gold. 

Feast of the Holy Kame of Jesus. — Pope Clement YII. 
instituted this feast in the year 1530, at the request of 
the Friars Minor. 

Our Lord was announced under many names by the 
prophets; He is called Admirable, the Counsellor, the 
strong God, Emmanuel, Prince of peace; and only the 
name of Jesus sees all heads bow and a feast established 
in its honor. Why this privilege ? The name of Jesus, 
and that alone, comprises all that the others say; at the 
name of Jesus is presented to the mind all the mysteries 
of the redemption; the thirty-three years of Our Lord's 
life are unrolled then before our eyes, with their labor, 
their anguish, their sufferings. This name shows us all, 
from the crib to the cross. Let us take care not to think 



194 The Liturgical Year, 

that it is to the name itself that the Church has conse- 
crated a feast. The object of this solemnity will be ex^ 
plained to us by the following passage from an ancient 
breviary : "And now comes, beloved brothers, the great 
solemnity in which our holy mother the Church honors 
at the same time all the mysteries of the universal redemp- 
tion which are kept on the different dates of the Christian 
year. The word Jesus means Saviour. Let us apply 
ourselves, then, in the solemnity of this divine name, to 
the reparation of all the faults of negligence or weakness 
committed on each one of the feasts of Our Saviour, that 
at least once a year we may venerate by the solemnities 
of our hymns and our canticles a name so salutary. 
And that which we begin on earth may we continue 
eternally in heaven ! " 

The object of the feast being known, let us say some- 
thing of the indulgences attached to the name of Jesus.. 
For a long time the Angelical Salutation ended at the 
w^ords: ^^ M henedictus fructus ventris tui^'' ("And 
blessed is the fruit of thy womb"). By the authority of 
Urban lY. was added the name of Jesus, and an indul- 
gence of thirty days was granted to all those who pro- 
nounce it in saying the Ave Maria. To increase the 
piety of the faithful, John XXII. accorded thirty days 
more indulgence. (Mich, de Insulis, In quodliheto de 
Rosario^ c. 5.) Later Sixtus V. opened the treasury of 
the Church to all those who invoked the name of Jesus. 
This indulgence was of twenty-five days. At the hour 
of death those who, having been faithful during life to 
invoke this name, pronouncing it then with the lips or 
the heart, may gain a plenary indulgence. (Decree of 
June 12, 1587.) 



The Time of Advent and of Christmas, 195 

The piety of the faithful is not satisfied to have un- 
ceasingly on the lips the name of Jesus; it delights in 
engraving it upon stone and cutting it in the sacred or- 
naments. It has invented a monogram, that is to say, 
a sort of figure which contains the letters of this name 
interlaced into one character. It was composed of its 
first three letters: IHS. This monogram comes to us 
from the Greeks, as the first two letters attest. The Latin 
form of the last letter is explained when we know that 
the Greeks of the Lower Empire used it frequently. The 
Latins placed a cross over the second letter, as if to say 
that Jesus has saved us by the cross. St. Bernardino 
of Sienna made this monogram popular. He constantly 
wore it on his chest, surrounded by shining rays of goku 
This relic, religiously preserved in Rome in the Church 
of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli, is exposed every year, 
on the feast of the saint, to the veneration of the faith- 
ful. 

Purification of the Blessed Virgin and Presentation 
of Our Lord in the Temple^ February "^d. — The name 
alone shows the object of this feast : Mary submitting 
to the purification prescribed by Moses, and making the 
offering to God of her divine Son. 

The Church, by a solemn procession, honors the jour- 
ney of the Holy Family to Jerusalem, and by the bless- 
ing of candles the manifestation of that Divine Light 
which Simeon sung. This last ceremony gave to the 
feast' its popular name of Candlemas. In the hand of 
the Christian, the blessed candle symbolizes Jesus Christ, 
Whom the holy old man Simeon had the happiness to 
hold in his arms. (See what has been previously said 
of candles, page 11.) 



196 The Liturgical Year, 

Purple, the color of mourning, worn in the blessing of 
candles and the procession, and saddening the joys of 
this feast, well expresses the sadness of Mary's heart when 
Simeon announced to her ' ' that a sword of sorrow should 
pierce her heart." For the Mass the Church wears 
white, the color of joy, in remembrance of the joys of 
that day when, for the first time, the Messias received 
solemn homage. The manger had seen the shepherds 
and Magi prostrate at His feet, but to-day the Temple 
hears Him proclaimed the Light of nations and the glory 
of Israel. 



CHAPTER III.— SEPTUAGESIMA AND LENT. 

1. SEPTUAGESIMA. 

History of this Time, — To the forty days of Lent 
Pope Telesphorus added a week of penitence for clerks. 
This week bore the name of Quinquagesima, or the 
Eiftieth. Following this, some of the popes having au- 
thorized two repasts on Saturday to sustain the body 
weakened by the rigors of the fast of the preceding day, 
more severe than that of the other days, to make up for 
these seven Saturdays taken from Lent, an eighth week 
was added, and it bore the name of Sexagesima. Then, 
as, out of respect for the ascension of Our Lord, Thurs- 
day was solemnized as Sunday, a ninth week was 
established, called Septuagesima, to complete the forty 
days of fast. These different names of Septuagesima, 
Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, have been preserved in 
the three Sundays which precede Lent, and the liturgic 
period which these embrace was called the time of 



Septuagesima and Lent, 197 

Septuagesima. If we take the exact signification of the 
word Septuagesima it indicates an interval of seventy 
days from the Sunday which bears this name to Easter. 
Although there are in reality but sixty-three days, the 
Church has adopted this expression, taking, according to 
the custom of the Scriptures, the number outlined for 
the actual number. 

In spite of the changes wrought in the ecclesiastical 
discipline, Septuagesima has remained a time of half 
penitence and prayer. The Greek Church always begins, 
her Lenten period from the week of Septuagesima; holy 
considerations of charity make her Western sister asso- 
ciate herself with, her mourning. The spouse of Jesus. 
Christ had another motive which reveals to us her pro- 
found knowledge of the human heart ; a mother full of 
solicitude, she knows all its weaknesses. 

After the sweet joys of Christmas, after the beautiful 
feasts of the Epiphany season and the more tumultuous- 
ones of the carnival, could we at once enter into the 
penitential life without transition ? Assuredly not. The- 
evening twilight precedes the night ; it is necessary to- 
let the last echo of the feasts fade away little by little, 
before intoning the sad chant of mourning : Septuages- 
ima becomes the preparation for Lent. 

Symbolism of Septuagesima. — "There are two peri- 
ods," says St. Augustine; "one passing now in the 
temptations and trials of this life, the other that which 
will pass in the security and joys of eternity. These two 
periods we celebrate, the former before Easter, the latter 
after Easter. The time before Easter expresses the 
anguish of this present life ; that which we celebrate 
after Easter signifies the beatitude which we shall one 



198 The Liturgical Year. 

day taste. This is why we pass the former in fasting 
and prayer, while the*second is consecrated to canticles 
of joy." {In Ps. cxlviii.) 

The two places which correspond to these two periods 
are Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon is this world ; 
Jerusalem is heaven. Now, the Jewish people, figure of 
the Christian people, was enslaved in Babylon seventy 
years, whence the number seventy for the days of ex- 
piation. ''The Church," say the liturgists, "has fixed 
this number of days to put us in mind of the captivity 
of Babylon and our own." (Alcuin, Cap. de ^eptiiag. — 
Gavant., p. iv. tit. 5.) 

The Church, in these days, thinks but of the sorrows 
of her exile; clad in mourning, like the Hebrew cap- 
tives, like them she weeps when she remembers Sion. 
In the strange land she can but repeat the sweet chants 
of her country, though her silent harps no longer voice 
the canticles of the heavenly Jerusalem. Neither the 
Alleluia nor the Gloria in excelsis^ the Te Deiim nor 
the Ite^ Mlssa est, rise in the saddened arches of her 
temples till the day of the resurrection. 

Devotion of the Forty Hours.— The worldly Tejoicings 
which precede Lent demanding reparation, the Church 
established the prayers called the Forty Hours, in honor 
of the forty hours which elapsed between Our Lord's con- 
demnation and His resurrection. This devotion was in- 
spired by the Spirit of God in the pious Cardinal Gabriel 
Paleotti, Archbishop of Bologna, in the sixteenth cen- 
tury. It owes its propagation above all to Pope Bene- 
dict XIY. 



Septucigesima and Lent, 199 

2. THE TIME OF LENT. 

Instituted by the apostles in memory of the forty days 
of Our Lord's fasting, Lent extends from Ash Wednes- 
day to Easter Sunday. St. Jerome observes that the 
number forty is always that of pain and affliction. {In 
Ezech.^ c. xxix.) The Scripture furnishes us proofs of 
this in great numbers. We will mention : the forty days 
and forty nights of rain in the deluge ; the forty years 
of exile in the desert ; the forty days of siege which 
preceded the destruction of Jerusalem ; the forty days' 
fasting of Moses and Elias. 

Three great thoughts fill all the Lenten liturgy. The 
Ohurch in the first place proposes to her children's 
meditation the drama of the Passion of Jesus Christ ; 
each week she follows step by step the development of 
the deicidal conspiracy. And then Lent w^as to those 
w^ho were aspirants for baptism the last preparation, and 
the Old as well as the New Testament furnished lessons 
intended to make the catechumens understand the 
grandeur of the blessing which they were to receive. 
Besides this the public penitents became also during the 
holy season the object of the maternal solicitude of the 
Ohurch, and the numerous instances of mercy with 
which the Epistles and Gospels are especially filled 
opened their hearts to confidence, the inseparable ac- 
companiment of pardon. These three considerations are 
the key to the Epistles and Gospels of this holy 
time. 

Ash Wednesday. — Ashes were not in the beginning 
laid upon the heads of any but sinners submitted to pub- 
lic penance. 



200 . The Liturgical Tear. 

Before the Mass of this day the guilty presented 
themselves at the church to avow their faults and to 
receive the ashes on their heads. They were covered at 
the same time with the haircloth of penance, and 
driven solemnly from the church doors, which did not 
open again to them till Holy Thursday. Through 
humility pious Christians mingled with the penitents. 
After the abolition of public penance, the Church, not 
wishing to deprive her children of the great teachings 
contained in the pious ceremony of the ashes, preserved 
the custom of laying them on the brows of the faithful 
at the beginning of Lent. Let us respond to her holy 
intentions, and bring to this ceremony the sentiments. 
of Adam and Eve after their sin. The sentence pro- 
nounced against them will fall upon ub : " Remember^ 
man, that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt 
return." 

But beside this sadness the Church has placed hope. 
The sign of the cross made on our foreheads with the 
ashes reminds us that death has been conquered by the 
divine Crucified One, and that, thanks to Calvary, the 
dust has become for redeemed man the cradle of a life 
glorious and immortal. 

First Sunday of Lent. — In France this is called 
Bimanche des Brandons^ or Sunday of the Torches, 
The reason for this is that the young people-who had 
given themselves over too much to the license of the 
carnival presented themselves at the church on the first 
Sunday of Lent, a torch in the hand, to make a public 
reparation of their excess. 

The reparation has fallen into disuse, but the custom 
of fires has survived, and the popular name of Sunday 



nrriiiT 



Septuagesima and Lent, 201 

of the Torches^ or the brands, remains to the first Sun- 
day of Lent. 

Fourth Sunday in Lent^ called Lcetare Suriday. — 
This name is derived from the first word of the Introit 
of this day. Everything speaks of joy in the liturgy of 
the fourth Sunday of Lent, because on this day were 
enrolled those who were to receive baptism at Easter, 
and the Church saw approaching the time for the res- 
toration of the public penitents. In Eome on this day 
is blessed the golden rose, and the explanation of this> 
ceremony will make us understand the cause of the 
Church's joy. We will translate Cardinal Peter of 
Capua. *^We read," he says, " that the Lord Jesus, at 
the approach of His passion, wishing to strengthen His. 
disciples against the scandals and humiliations to come, 
foretold to them often the glory of His resurrection, and 
even showed His glory to three of them in His trans- 
figuration on Thabor. It is to follow the steps of the 
divine Master that, on the fourth Sunday of Lent — that 
is to say, that which immediately precedes Passion Sun- 
day, which opens the way of sorrow — the Sovereign 
Pontiff, to soften the sadness of the days which are to 
come, announces to the faithful the glory of the resur- 
rection, bearing a golden rose in his hand. This glory 
is, in fact, figured by the flower. Our Lord said that 
' His flesh should flourish like it.' (Ps. xxvii. 7.) Among" 
all the perishable beauty, nothing is equal to that of 
the flower ; we have the • testimony of the Saviour for 
this. Who said that : ' Not Solomon in all his glory 
was clothed like one of these.' (Matt. vi. 29.) Now, 
among the flowers, the rose is the most beautiful. It 
is then by a just title that it has been chosen to figure 



:202 The Liturgical Year, 

•that glory ' which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive.' 
{I. Cor. ii. 9.) Why is it a golden rose which is anointed 
with musk and balm ? Gold, the most precious metal, 
is very proper to represent the glory of Jesus Christ 
in His resurrection. Balm preserves the body from 
corruption, and expresses here the immortality of the 
risen Saviour. Musk is the most odoriferous of ^he 
.aromatics ; it is thus a symbol of the fame of Christ 
which His resurrection has spread everywhere, like a 
.sweet odor, by the ministry of His apostles." (Spicil, 
JSoles7n., t. iii. p. 495.) 

This rose is carried by a clerk who precedes His Ho- 
liness, then is laid in the middle of the altar on a 
rich silken veil embroidered with gold. The Sovereign 
Pontiff usually sends it to some prince or important 
personage, to honor him, or as a testimony of gratitude 
for service rendered to the Church. 

Passion Sunday.~ln the Mass of the preceding Fri- 
day has been read the gospel of the raising of Lazarus. 
We learn from St. John that many of those who were 
witnesses of this miracle went, under the influence of 
jealousy, to the Pharisees, to inform them of what had 
happened. The next day, which was the Sabbath, the 
death of the Saviour was decided upon. From that 
moment Our Lord had to flee and hide Himself. To 
express this unheard-of humiliation, the Church veils 
the cross. She veils at the same time the images of the 
saints, for it is right that the glory of the servant 
should efface itself when his Master is humiliated ; and 
Ihe fifth Sunday of Lent was called Passion Sunday, 
because, in fact, the way of sorrow began for Jesus 



Septuagesima and Lent, 203 

Christ in the council-hall where the black plots against 
His life were woven. 

Feast of the Annunciation^ March 26t7i. — The time of 
Septuagesima and Lent represents the militant life of 
man driven from the earthly paradise, and winning 
heaven by labor and sorrow. Fallen man had received 
a promise, and his tears were become less bitter. The 
Annunciation of Mary and the Incarnation of the Word 
are the accomplishment of this divine promise. In 
these days of penitence may man draw from this mys- 
tery proposed to his love new courage in the combat 
which he must sustain ! No more cowardice nor mur- 
murs in the midst of trials ; the Word made flesh has 
foreseen them, and submitted to them Himself. One 
feast a year is not enough for gratitude. A voice was 
needed to repeat unceasingly to man the love of God in 
giving Himself to the world : the prayer of the Angelus 
received from the Church this sweet mission. Thrice a 
day the beloved voice of the bell repeats the message of 
(he angel, the humility of Mary, and the abasement of 
the AYord. The thrice-repeated Angelus will be the ex- 
pression of man's gratitude toward the adorable Trinity, 
Who has so mercifully intervened in this mystery. Who 
does not know it ? The voice of the bell struck nine 
times brings us the musical invitation of the nine choirs 
of angels ; let us unite ourselves with them to adore the 
Incarnate Word, and salute Mary. The custom of 
reciting a prayer in honor of Mary at the sound of the 
bell goes back to Urban II. This Pope ordered that all 
the faithful should pray morning and night to call down 
the blessing of Heaven on the crusades. And, since 
prayer said in common is more powerful, the bell gave 



304 The Liturgical Year, 

the signal for this great manifestation of Catholic faith. 
We know that Jerusalem fell into the hands of the 
Christia^ns. Till that time the prayer had not been said 
at noon. It was Calixtus III. who, following the steps 
of his predecessor, completed the pious practice, hoping 
that God, once more disarmed by prayer, would grant 
victory to the Catholic army then fighting in Hungary 
against the Turks. These various struggles ended, the 
Angelus remained as a chant of triumph. Some authors 
see in the evening Angelus a commemoration of the 
joyous mysteries wrought in the silence of the night ; 
in the morning Angelus the glorious mysteries ; and in 
that of noon, the sorrowful mysteries. These pious 
reflections can but make us say this prayer, which has 
been enriched by numerous indulgences, with greater 
devotion. In the first place, there is an indulgence of a 
hundred days each time that the Angelus is said kneel- 
ing at the sound of the bell. The Christian faithful to 
this daily practice may gain each month, on whatever 
day he chooses, a plenary indulgence. The Angelus is 
said standing on Sunday in honor of the Eesurrection, 
as is the Regina Codi during the Paschal time. 

This feast goes back to the highest antiquity. We read 
in the Bollandists that each year Mary celebrated the anni- 
versary of that great day when the Word, assuming our 
flesh, raised her to the ineffable dignity of the Mother 
of God. As witnesses of these feelings of gratitude, the 
apostles associated themselves with her, and established 
the feast of the Annunciation in the entire world. 

Feast of the Seven Dolors, — Tradition says that 
Mary, meeting her Son bearing His cross, fell under tlie 
weight of her anguish. Upon the place of this awful 



Septuagesima and Lent. 205 

meeting a chapel was raised which took the name of 
St. Mary of the Spasm, and a feast was celebrated 
under the same name for several centuries. At the 
provincial Council of Cologne, in 1413, to rebuke the 
audacity of new heretics called Hussites, who had laid 
sacrilegious hands upon the images of Jesus Christ cru- 
cified and His holy Mother, was instituted the feast of 
the Commemoration of the Seven Dolors of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, and its celebration was fixed for the Fri- 
day of Passion Week. This feast, substituted for that of 
the Spasm, or rather blended with it, was eagerly 
accepted by the faithful. To represent the anguish of 
Mary, painters have shown her with her heart pierced 
with seven swords. According to Benedict XIY., this 
was the origin of the custom : Seven merchants of 
Florence withdrew to a mountain near that city, and 
there laid the foundation of the Order of Services, or 
Servants of the Blessed Virgin. These pious founders, 
in meditating on the sorrows of their august patron, 
discovered seven, of which some are found in the 
Gospel, and others are based on other pious reasons. 
These sorrows are : 1st, the prophecy made in the 
temple by the holy old man Simeon ; 2d, the flight 
into Egypt ; 3d, the loss of Jesus in Jerusalem ; 4th, 
the meeting of Jesus and Mary on the way to Calvary ; 
5th, the crucifixion ; 6th, the descent from the cross ; 
7th, the burial. In these seven swords we may believe 
that Christian art has wished to represent the abyss of 
sorrow into which the soul of Mary was plunged ; the 
number seven being taken for universality. This is the 
translation of the words of Holy Scripture applied to 
Mary : ^* Thy sorrow is great as the sea" (Lament, ii. 13). 



206 The Liturgical Year. 

CHAPTEK I v.— HOLY WEEK. 

1. PALM SUNDAY. 

The Procession. — The verdant palms in the hands of 
the faithful, the crowd of children, of men and women 
walking in procession, the sacred chants full of joy, vividly- 
present the scene which Jerusalem saw five days before 
the passion. But the triumphal entry of the Saviour 
into Jerusalem was but a prophetic figure of that other 
triumph which He would receive in the midst of angelic 
harmonies in the heavenly Jerusalem. The gates of the 
celestial city, closed since the sin of Adam, could not 
open but to the bloody trophy of Calvary. It is this new 
triumph which the gates of the church indicate at the 
return of the procession, closed as they were until then, 
and yielding to the power of the cross, which seems thrice 
to open a breech in them as it knocks, while the voices 
of children, angels of the earth, rise in the sweetest 
melody of the sacred chants. 

The Mass. — The Mass of Palm Sunday is a striking 
contrast to the procession; sadness succeeds the joyous 
canticles; after the gospel of triumph comes the sorrow- 
ful story of the passion, an image of the too-prompt 
change worked in the Jewish people; its inconstancy 
made it pass quickly from adoration to outrage, from the 
chants of Hosanna to the cries of '' Crucify Him, crucify 
Him!" 

2. OFFICE OF TENEBR^. 

In the middle of the choir stands a triangular candlestick, 
surmounted by fifteen candles, in memory of the twelve- 
apostles, and the disciples represented by the thre© 



Holy Week. 207 

Marys. These candles, except the one at the top of the 
candlestick, are successively put out after each antiphon. 
During the chanting of the Benedictus those on the altar 
are extinguished. Then, in the midst of this profound 
night, whence the name of Tenehrce^ or darkness, given 
to the office, a clerk carries behind the altar the candle 
which remains lighted at the top of the candlestick, hides 
it for some moments, and then its light returns to shine 
in the sanctuary. By this candle the Church represents- 
to us the abandonment of Jesus Christ, His burial and 
resurrection. In the midst of the darkness of the sanc- 
tuary, an image of that which threw a veil of mourning^ 
over the world, a confused noise is heard ; let us throw 
ourselves, then, at the foot of the cross where our God 
has just expired, and let this sound bring to our heart 
the echo of the upheaval of nature, the trembling of the 
earth, the opening of the tombs, the breaking of the 
rocks and the rending of the veil of the temple. 

When, during the chant of the Miserere^ the candle is. 
carried behind the altar, our saddened heart should ac- 
company the Saviour to the tomb. But that our sorrow 
be not without hope, this candle is not extinguished, and 
its flame says to us that Jesus Christ in the tomb lives 
still in His soul and in His divinity. Hope will give place 
to joy when the candle concealed behind the altar comes 
to shine anew in the sanctuary; we will then salute in 
it the Conqueror of death bursting gloriously from His 
tomb. 

3. HOLY THURSDAY. 

Mass of Holy Thursday, — The solemnity of the Mass 
of Holy Thursday makes a truce for a moment in the sor- 
rows of the Church. 



208 The Liturgical Tear, 

How can she contain the transports of her joy in this 
memorable anniversary of the institution of the Eucha- 
rist and the Catholic priesthood ? The single Mass cele- 
brated on this day in each church, the communion dis- 
tributed to the clergy and the faithful, present to us the 
gospel scene when Jesus Christ, the only consecrator of 
the last supper, and the apostles were seated at the eu- 
charistic table. 

In honor of this solemnity the bells ring out during 
Mass their joyous peals; then, till Holy Saturday, they 
remain silent. This silence alone is a sign of great 
mourning, but it recalls to us also the silence of the 
apostles, not daring to raise their voices to defend their 
Master. Contrary to the usual practice of feast days, 
the kiss of peace is not given before the communion. 
By the suppression of this touching symbol of friendship 
the Church has intended to rebuke the perfidious treason 
consummated on the evening of this day. 

The Rej^ository, — The various names of tomb, reposi- 
tory, paradise, that is to say, garden^ given by the people's 
piety to the chapel which each one hastens to ornament 
.with his richest hangings and his first flowers, alone show 
the mysteries to which the Church desires to turn our 
thoughts. The procession to the repository, by the light 
of candles and torches, already expresses funeral pomps. 
The incense poured out upon the way of the Blessed Sac- 
rament recalls to us the aromatic herbs of the embalming; 
the silence of the priest, the mute sorrow of Mary and 
the disciples; the chants of triumph, the joyous canticles 
of the angels of heaven; the return without pomp, the 
sad descent from Calvary. In this paradise the chalice 
will be the tomb of the Saviour ; the pall with which it 







RTHTiftirSrttfSir'S 




Holy Week, 209 

IS covered replaces the stone rolled before the sepulchre, 
and the paten laid above it represents the seal of the 
Pharisees. (Gavantus, p. iv. tit. 8.) A white veil en- 
velops this mystic tomb, in memory of the winding- 
sheet which was used in the burial. 

Blessing of the Holy Oils. — In this consecration every- 
thing is full of mystery : the day, the moment, the cere- 
monies. The day, Holy Thursday, feast of the Eucha- 
rist, seemed marvellously suitable to the consecration of 
the matter of the sacraments, which all, in some sort, 
bear upon that of our altars. The moment : the oil of 
the sick is blessed before the Pater in that part of the 
Mass which represents Our Lord on the cross, making 
Himself infirm in order to cure us, and dying for us. 
What abundant graces spring then from all the wounds 
of the Saviour upon that matter henceforth sanctified I 
This, becorne the channel of these precious graces, 
applied to the members of the sick man will give him 
health, often of body, always of soul. It is after the 
communion that the oil of catechumens and the holy 
chrism are consecrated, because the two sacraments of 
which they are especially the matter were instituted after 
the Kesurrection, and the ceremonies which follow the 
communion symbolize that part of the life of Our Saviour. 
(See the Mass, page 24.) 

We have said there was mystery in these ceremonies. 
The breathing of the bishop and the twelve priests who 
assist him upon the holy oils signifies the intervention of 
the Holy Spirit, of Whose breath it is the symbol, be it 
because of its name or because of the manner in which 
He was communicated to the apostles on the evening of 
the Eesurrection. When the prayers of the liturgy have 



210 The Liturgical Year, 

raised the matter of oil to that degree of power iutended 
for it by God, the Church sees in it but the Spirit of love 
and peace which is there present by His yirtue. This is 
Avhy the bishop and the twelve priests come in turn to 
salute with a triple genuflection the holy chrism and the 
oil of the sick; this is w^hy they, respectfully kiss the vase 
which contains them. 

The Washing of Feet. — The Pope washes the feet of 
thirteen priests of different nations. The Church or- 
dains that, after the example of what is done in Rome, 
the bishop washes the feet of thirteen poor men. 

Why thirteen ? Some see here the intention of repre- 
senting the perfected number of the Apostolic College, 
the traitor Judas having been replaced by St. Matthias, 
and God having added St. Paul to the apostles pre- 
viously chosen. Others, with Benedict XIV., find the 
reason for this number in a fact of the life of St. Greg- 
ory the Great. This holy pontiff each day w^ashed the 
feet of twelve beggars. One day he remarked a thir- 
teenth, wiiom no one had seen enter ; it ^vas an angel. 

The Stripping of the Altai's.— Atter the Mass on 
Holy Thursday, the stripping of the altars takes place. 
The missal, the cards, the linens, cloths, and other orna- 
ments are successively taken away, and then the can- 
dles are extinguished. The afilicted Church recalls to 
us by this ceremony the stripping to which Our Lord 
submitted, to expiate the fault of our first parents. Let 
us think then of Jesus Christ despoiled of everything^ 
His garments, His glory, and His friends. 

4. GOOD FRIDAY. 

The altar stripped of its ornaments, the silence of the 



Holy Week. 211 

bells, the vestments of mourning in the sanctuary, the 
sadness upon each face, say to us that this day is the 
anniversary of a great sorrow. The anniversary of the 
death of a father unites all his children around his 
tomb. Faithful Christians hasten on Good Friday 
around the cross and the sepulchre of Jesus Christ. 
Only the unnatural child is lacking to this fraternal 
meeting of love and gratitude. 

The morning office is divided into four parts : the 
Lessons, the Prayers, the Adoration of the Cfross,. and 
the Mass of the Presanctified. 

Tlie Lessons. — Before mounting the altar-steps the 
priest prays, prostrate, with his face on the earth. On 
this day, more than on any other, the altar seems to his 
faith like a new Calvary. But Our Lord, before con- 
summating His sacrifice there, watered with His blood in 
sorrowful agony the Garden of GethsemanL The gos- 
pel shows Him to us in this anguish, prostrate. His brow 
in the dust. The humiliated position of the priest re- 
calls to us this first act of the great drama of the 
passion. The office begins by the reading of certain 
passages taken from the prophets, Exodus, and the 
gospel. The Church places before the eyes of her chil- 
dren the history of the great Victim of the human race. 
The prophets have announced long in advance His suffer- 
ings, His humiliations ; Exodus, in the sacrifices of the 
Jewish law, has figured the different circumstances of 
His death ; then the gospel gives us the simple and 
sublime story of that bloody immolation. 

The Prayers. — The reading of the passion finished, 
the spouse of Jesus Christ, in tears prostrates herself at 
the foot of the cross, and prays for all the needs of her 



313 TJie Liturgical Year, 

numerous family. No one is forgotten. Even for the 
Jews she has a prayer. Only, with the intention of 
imprinting a stigma upon the ironical genuflections of 
the prsetorium and Calvary, she suppresses that act of 
adoration when she prays for the deicidal race. 

The Unveiling of the Cross. — The ceremony known as 
the unveiling of the cross represents the preaching and 
the triumph of a crucified God. It is begun by detach- 
ing the portion of the yeil which covers the top of the 
cross, and uncovering it as far as the arm. 

It is raised a little, while in a medium voice are chanted 
the words : '^ Ecce lignum crucis.''^ And those present, 
or rather the entire world-, are invited to come and 
adore : " Venite adoremusy This first unveiling and 
the medium tone express the first preaching of the cross 
which the apostles made among themselves ; they did 
not speak of the mystery of the redemption but with 
the disciples of Jesus, fearing otherwise to call the at- 
tention of the Jews. The cross receives, at the same 
time, the first homage of adoration, in reparation for 
the outrages which the Saviour received in the house of 
Caiphas. 

The sacred ministers have gone further into the sanc- 
tuary, and uncovered the right arm of the cross. It is 
then raised higher, and in a louder voice than before is 
chanted again : " Ecce lignum crucisy This second un- 
veiling, accompanied with louder tones than the first, 
represents the preaching of the mystery of the cross to 
the Jews, after Pentecost ; and the adoration which it 
receives for the second time is a reparation for the 
injuries of the praetorium. 

Then the cross, entirely uncovered, is raised higher 



Holy Week. 213 

than before, and the chant, become nearly triumphant, 
repeats: ''' Ecce lignum critcis.^'' The solemnity of this 
last unveiling recalls the preaching of the mystery of the 
cross in the entire world, and by the third adoration the 
Church wishes to repair the blasphemies, the genuflec- 
tions, and the cruelties of Calvary. (Gueranger, Holy 
Week.) 

The Adoration of the Cross. — The cross, entirely un- 
covered, is shown to the pious and recollected crowd. 
For many days they have not seen the crucifix ; in 
this moment they contemplate the head crowned with 
thorns, the hands and feet pierced with nails, the side 
opened by the iron of the lance, and all, kings and pon- 
tiffs, old men and children, rich and poor, come to adore 
the redeeming wood. Would it not seem as if they were 
weeping children admitted to the death-chamber of the 
head of the family, where he was exposed upon his bed, 
and presenting themselves with respectful grief to kiss 
his beloved remains ? 

Under the influence of one of those sweet illusions so 
familiar to sorrow and love, the faithful son sees in this 
moment but Calvary and its sorrowful road ; out of re- 
spect for its dust empurpled with the divine blood, and 
in reparation for the falls of the Kedeemer, he removes 
his shoes, and three times he bends his knee and bows 
his head. 

Mass of the Presanctifled. — Properly speaking there 
is no Mass on Good Friday. The ceremony which takes 
its place is called the Mass of the Presanctifled ; Mass^ 
because some of the rites of the Mass are preserved ; of 
the Presanctifled^ that is to say, gifts consecrated be- 
fore, because the celebrant there offers to the adoration 






214 The Liturgical Year, 

of tke people, and consumes himself, the host conse- 
crated in tlie Mass of Holy Thursday. The clergy go to 
bring from the repository the host reserved in the 
chalice. The altar-candles are lighted to receive the 
Elessed Sacrament. The absence of lights in the pre- 
ceding ceremonies recalls to us the darkness which ac- 
companied the death of our God. In this Mass the 
Church omits that which has direct connection with the 
mysteries of Calvary, and all the prayers in which men- 
tion is made of the communion of the faithful, or that 
under the species of wine, both of which have no place 
in this day. (Gav. p. iv. .tit. 9.) 

The elevation at the Pater is made with the right hand 
only, to distinguish it from the ordinary form ; nothing, 
on this sorrowful day, must resemble other days. The 
prayer Libera nos is to-day said aloud, to celebrate the 
descent of Jesus Christ into Limbo, and the deliverance 
of the souls which were detained there. {Rational^ 1. 
iv. c. 49.) 

Vespers, recited in a grave and mournful voice, end 
the office of the morning. 

5. HOLY SATURDAY. 

To understand the different parts of the office of this 
day, let us recall three facts : first, that this office, cele- 
brated now in the morning, was formerly said in the 
night of Easter; secondly, that in this night the cate- 
chumens were baptized; thirdly, that the Mass was said 
in the dawn of the very day of the resurrection. 

Blessing of the Kew Fire, — The lamps of the sanctuary, 
extinguished during these days, should have reminded 
ns that the divine Liglit has, in a sense, extinguished 



Roly Week, 215 

and eclipsed Himself in the night of \X\q tomb ; the bless- 
ing of the new fire will represent to us His glorious re- 
turn. In this ceremony the Church wears purple, the 
color of mourning; the joys of the Resurrection have not 
yet rejoiced the heart of the sorrowing spouse. How- 
ever, it is no longer, like yesterday, black ; hope has al- 
lowed some sweet rays to fall into her soul ; her Beloved 
will soon be restored to her. For the blessing of the 
fire, the clergy go outside the church, following the steps 
of the holy women who had to go out of Jerusalem to 
reach the sepulchre. The celebrant, taking a stone, 
strikes from it a new fire. The stone is an emblem of 
Jesus Christ : though stricken by death at the hands of 
the Jews, He has none the less become, by His resurrec- 
tion, the sacred fire which enlightens and warms the 
world. This glorious life, of which the sepulchre was as 
the cradle, Jesus Christ has not received; it was in Him- 
self ; the Church wishes to figure this mystery of the 
power of the Saviour raising Himself when she com- 
mands that the new fire shall not be taken from a fire 
already existing. The grains of incense, blessed with 
the new fire, recall to us the aromatic herbs brought to 
the sepulchre by Magdalen and her pious companions. 

The Triangular Candle. — After blessing the new fire, 
the clergy enter again the holy place. The deacon car- 
ries a rod surmounted by a candle in three branches. 
This rod and triple candle symbolize Jesus Christ in His 
two natures : one the human nature with its weakness; 
the other the divine nature all resplendent with the 
glories of the Holy Trinity. One of the branches of this 
candle is lighted in the door of the church, and the deacon, 
showing it, says: ' 'Lumen Cliristi " — " Behold the light of 



216 The Liturgical Year, 

Christ " ; and the response is made with genuflection : "Deo 
gr atlas " — " Thanks be to God. " The second branch and 
then the third is lighted and shown to the people, with 
the same words said in louder tone. This triple mani- 
festation of the light marks for us the preaching by the 
Incarnate Word of the divinity of the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost; and this tone, gradually raised, expresses 
the word, heard in the first instance like a faint mur- 
mur in the little circle of the apostles, and later re- 
sounding like the violent wind which symbolized it on 
the day of Pentecost, and that the voice of the Lord has 
dominated by its power the thunder of angry waters. 
(Ps. xxviii. 3 ; Gueranger ; Gavantus.) As to the dea- 
con clothed in w^hite, delegated to be the messenger of 
the good tidiugs, he recalls to us the angel shining in 
light who announced to the holy women the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ. 

Blessing of the Paschal Candle.— It is the duty of the 
deacon to fulfil this function of the liturgy in the pres- 
ence of the priest and even of the bishop. Jesus Christ 
arisen appeared first to the holy women, and then to the 
disciples at Emmaus, and then to the apostles reunited 
in the upper chamber of the last supper. Because of 
this fact in the Gospel, the inferior in the hierarchy has 
been preferred for the blessing of the paschal candle over 
the bishops and priests, successors of the disciples and 
the apostles. 

As preliminaries of this ceremony the Gospel of the 
Mass is said; then the deacon, immediately, without 
saying Dominus vohiscum^ to better express the agita- 
tion of the Church at the tidings of the Resurrection, 
intones the Exultet, that sublime chant which celebrates 



Holy Week. 217 

the victory over hell and death. The immortal Con- 
queror is there before our eyes, figured by the paschal 
candle. This, not yet lighted, recalls Jesus Christ 
stricken by death, and the five grains of incense, His. 
embalming. The embalmed candle is lighted by the 
new fire, and then with its light and its five grains of 
incense it appears to us as a magnificent symbol of the- 
Saviour, preserving after His resurrection His glorious- 
wounds, the sight of which alone is a prayer full of 
tenderness and grace before His Father. (Gueranger, 
The Liturgical Year.) 

From the paschal candle the other candles and the 
sanctuary lamp are lighted, as it is Jesus Christ from 
whom the apostles, the true torches of the world, re- 
ceived their light, destined to enlighten the universe. 
During the forty days consecrated to the honor of the^ 
mysteries of the risen Saviour the paschal candle lights. 
the offices of the Church; it disappears on Ascension- 
day after the reading of the Gospel. 

The Lessons. — We have said that in the night of 
Easter the catechumens were solemnly baptized. While- 
they were gathered in the church porch the priests gave 
them the preparatory rites of baptism. To keep the as- 
sembly attentive, passages of the Scriptures were read 
relative to the circumstances, and divided by prayers 
and canticles. The number of the Lessons reminded the: 
catechumens of the twelve apostles, to whom, after God, 
they owed the blessing of faith. {Gfem. animce, 1. iii. 
c. 108.) At the prayer which accompanies each one of 
these lessons the knee is bent, except at the last one. 
This retraces the history of the three young Hebrews, 
who preferred to suffer the fires of the furnace rather 



"218 The Liturgical Tear, 

than give idolatrous homage to the statue of Nabucho- 
■donosor. The Church omits the genuflection to honor 
the beautiful example of fidelity to G-od given to all ages, 
and also to publicly condemn idolatry in the presence 
•of the catechumens, taken, for the most part, from the 
darkness of paganism. 

Blessing of the Water, — The Lessons finished, the 
clergy go to the sacred fonts ; the celebrant there blesses 
the water destined for regeneration, following a rite 
religiously preserved by the Church, which we are 
.about to explain. The priest, after having implored the 
divine intervention, touches the water thrice with his 
hand. The first time he divides it in the form of a cross, 
to show that, by virtue of the cross, the waters have 
received their power to regenerate souls. The second 
time he touches it with his hand to imprint this virtue 
upon it, that it may vivify and purify. The third time, 
after dividing it, he throws it towards the four points of 
1he compass, to signify that all nations from the north 
and the south, the east and the west, are called to the 
grace of baptism. 

Thrice also the priest breathes upon the water in the 
form of a cross, to call upon the matter of baptism, by 
the merits of Jesus Christ crucified, the fruitful inter- 
vention of the three divine Persons, 

The water, prepared from the beginning of the world 
to become the powerful instrument of mercies, received 
all its virtue in the Jordan from the contact with the 
divine flesh of Jesus Christ. The Church expresses 
this mystery by plunging intp the water the paschal 
candle, symbol of the Saviour. Its triple immersion 
^figures the three immersions of baptism. But the re- 



Holy Week. 219 

generation of man is pre-eminently the work of the 
Holy Spirit ; this is why the priest at the same time 
prays Him to descend upon the waters of baptism and 
pour out upon them His fruitful grace; also, to represent 
this merciful intervention, he breathes again upon the 
water, making this time with his breath the Greek 
letter ^, the first of the word spirit in the language 
of the Hellenes ; then he pours into it the oil of cate- 
chumens and holy chrism, sacred gifts become since 
Holy Thursday the repositories of divine graces. 

At this moment was begun the immersion of cate- 
chumens. This solemn baptism on Holy Saturday is no 
longer customary ; only the aspersion of water upon the 
assistants after the blessing is a souvenir of it. The 
new Christians then re-entered the church, and saluted 
their new brothers of heaven by the chant of the 
litanies. (Guer., Gav.) 

Mass of Holy Saturday. — The altar, stripped and bare 
during these last days, is to-day re-clad with white 
linens and its rich ornaments, to represent to us the 
glories of the Eesurrection. 

Dawn begins to tinge the horizon, the commemo- 
rative hour of the Resurrection has arrived ; the bells, 
uniting their sweet voices, celebrate it in a unanimous 
concert. For many long days the Alleluia has been 
banished from the liturgy ; in the sorrows of exile, 
fallen man could not repeat it, but to-day heaven is 
opened to us ; before we taste the joys of eternity let us 
repeat the sweetest of its canticles: *' Alleluia, Alle- 
luia ! " At the Gospel incense is carried, but not can- 
dles. Again an allusion to the events of this morning. 
The holy women have come to the tomb with perfumes, 



220 The Liturgical Year, 

but their souls were not illumined with the light of 
faith. Did they not expect to find in the sepulchre Him 
Who had promised to rise again on the third day? 
(Rational^ 1. vi. c. 81.) ''There was in them all the 
ardor of love," says Alcuin, " but faith was extinct." 

The Credo is not sung ; it is the symbol of the faith 
preached by the apostles, and they had not yet believed 
in the resurrection of their Master. (Gavantus, p. iv. 
tit. 10.) 

There is no Offertory at this Mass. The faithful, pre- 
senting as they did the bread and wine intended for the 
sacrifice, and the number of those intending to com- 
municate, and consequently offer, being great, the 
length of this ceremony would liave added still more to 
the fatigues of the night. For these reasons of chari- 
table condescension the Offertory was omitted. The 
same thoughtfulness has made the Vespers of this day 
chosen from the shortest of all the psalms. Sung in the 
place of the anthem of the Communion, they are like a 
canticle of thanksgiving of the newly baptized, admitted 
for the first time to the banquet of the Lamb. Our Lord 
not having given peace to His apostles until the evening 
of His resurrection, the Kiss of Peace, and the Agnus 
Dei, which speaks of peace, are suppressed in the Mass 
of Holy Saturday. 

CHAPTER v.— PASCHAL TIME AND PENTECOST. 

1. PASCHAL TIME. 

The Feast of Easter. — Christmas is the feast of love, 
but Easter is the feast of hope. ''This solemnity," 
says St. Gregory the Great, ' ' snatches us from earth to 



Paschal Time and Pentecost 221 

transport us into the delights of heaven." {Homil, 
xxii., In Evangel.) On this day which our fathers so 
well named "the day of days," we celebrate the res- 
urrection of Jesus Christ, but we salute also with 
transports of unspeakable joy the dawn of our own 
resurrection. The paschal solemnity comes to say to 
man : " Thou shalt not die : the tomb shall be to thy 
liesh, stricken by the breath of sorrow or of time, as 
the earth is to the grain confided to her ; there it shall 
germinate in the silence of centuries, to burst focth glo- 
rious and immortal. To the pure soul everything 
speaks of resurrection. ISTature, which seems to sleep 
through the days of winter, clothes herself again with 
verdure and joy ; upon the branches, yesterday so dry, 
bloom to-day the loveliest flowers, and everything has a 
voice to say to us : ''If God so clothe the grass of the 
field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the 
oven, shall He not much more clothe you, ye of little 
faith?" (St. Matt. vi. 30.) 

The sun, which until now was wrapped in a sombre 
mantle of fog and clouds, appears to us all resplendent 
with new fires ; in this more radiant sun the Christian 
will find a pledge of hope : one day in glory his risen 
flesh shall seem ''like to it." (St. Matt. xiii. 43.) 

And in the holy j^lace the Church, in all the forms 
which tenderness suggests to her, recalls to her children 
the consoling dogma. Ornaments of joyous colors have 
replaced the signs of mourning ; rich embroideries 
adorn the altars ; the bells ring out their most solemn 
peals, and in the sanctuary a chant from heaven rises 
in all voices: "Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia." 

Pascli in Hebrew means passage. This name alone 



222 The Liturgical Year, 

awakens in the Christian soul the greatest memories. 
Pasch: it is the passage of the angel of death in the 
midst of Egypt. Pasch: it is the passage of the He- 
brews through the waves of the Red Sea. Pasch : it is 
the passage of Jesus Christ from death to life. Pasch : 
it is the passage of the souls of the just from Limbo to 
heaven. Pasch : it is the passage of the eatechumeiij 
from unbelief to the light of the faith. Pasch : it is for 
us the passage from sin to grace, from the dust of the 
tomb to the glory of the resurrection. The Church 
makes mention of these different mysteries in the 
liturgy of this day, but she seems to prefer to occupy 
herself with the joys of the Resurrection and of Baptism. 

Easter Eggs. — The Qgg was regarded as a symbol of 
the resurrection of the body. (St. Augustine, Serm, 
cv.) In the tomb of several martyrs have been discov- 
ered marble eggs, like hen's eggs, or even the shells of 
natural eggs. For the Christian the ^gg is an image of 
the tomb ; he remains there, without movement and 
without life, until He Who has vouchsafed to compare 
His tenderness to that of a hen gathering her chickens 
beneath her wings comes to break the chains which 
hold him the captive of death. It is to this eminently 
religious origin that the Easter egg can be traced. In 
some churches to this day an ostrich -egg is hung in the 
middle of the sanctuary as a pledge of hope, and at the 
domestic hearth blessed eggs are eaten before any other 
food on Easter, which is called, for this reason, pasch of 
the egg. {Diet, des Antiq. Chret.; Godard, Archeol.) 

Syinbolism of Paschal Time. — Now the days of peni- 
tence are fled. No more tears, no more mourning in 
the liturgy. The Church, opening out the vast hori- 



lllllll II 



PascJial Time and Pentecost. 22^ 

zons of eternity, transports lis to them on the wings of 
hope, to show us that after the sufferings of this life a 
shining crown will be laid upon the brow of the yicior, 
and he will rejoice in the boundless joys of the vision 
of God. Catholic worship translates this consoling*^ 
thought during the paschal time. This embraces a. 
period of fifty days. The jubilee year, which falls every 
fifty years, has stamped this number with a joyful 
character. ' ' And as the number forty is taken for the 
punishment of penitence, this is the figure of recom- 
pense and rest," says St. Gregory. {Mor, 1. i. c. 15.) 

Throughout all the paschal time the first Christians 
prayed standing. St. Justin, asking himself the reason 
of such a custom, answers: "It is to place unceas^ 
ingly before our eyes the blessing of our resurrection. 
The humiliation of our bodies during the other periods 
is a symbol of our fall by sin, but the position which "we 
assume during these days which belong to the Lord is a 
sign of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has deliv- 
ered us from the chains of sin and of death." (QucesL 
ad Orthod, Eesp. cxv.) The Council of Nice raised this 
custom into a canonical law. {Canon idt.) It has. 
been retained, as we have already said, during the 
paschal time for the recitation of the Kegina Coeli, and 
on Sundays for the Angelus. 

Quasimodo Sunday opens the series of five Sundays 
that belong to the paschal time. The first words of the 
Introit give it the name which it bears. It was the eve 
of the day when the newly baptized laid off their white 
robes ; this made it also called Sunday in albis de- 
positis. 

Procession of St. Jlark, 26th of April. — Under the- 



^24 Tlie Liturgical Year. 

pontificate of Pelagius, in 589, the swollen waters of the 
Tiber rose to the summit of the temple of Nero. In 
subsiding they left such an infectious deposit that there 
resulted a violent plague. To turn away the divine 
wrath the Pope ordered a general procession. But God 
demanded an illustrious victim : Pelagius was taken 
away by the contagion, in the very procession, with 
seventy other persons. St. Gregory the Great, his suc- 
cessor, ordered a second procession, at the head of 
which was carried the picture of the Blessed Virgin 
painted by St. Luke. Before this venerated relic the 
plague disappeared. When they had come to the castle 
of Adrian (now the castle of San Angelo) St. Gregory 
saw an angel sheathing a sword wet with blood. It was 
the signal of pardon. As a thanksgiving the Church 
renews this procession each year. (We have seen in a 
preceding chapter that the Kegina Coeli was said by 
angels on this occasion.) 

According to several authors, the pagans had a pro- 
cession on the 25th of April to call down the blessings 
of the gods on the fruits of the earth. They carried a 
statue of Ceres, the goddess of the harvest. The 
Church probably chose this day for the procession of 
which we have spoken in order to interest the pagans 
themselves in the prescribed prayers for the cessation of 
the plague. 

Processions and Bogations. —Pla^giies, ceaselessly re- 
curring, desolated the Church in Vienne : droughts, 
earthquakes, fires, and the ravages of wild beasts. St. 
llamertus, to appease heaven, ordered prayers, or ro- 
gations, sanctified by fasting and accompanied by a sol- 
emn procession. Copying those Qf the Mnivites, they 



PascJial Time and Pentecost. 225 

were three days in duration, and tlie three days immedi- 
ately preceding the feast of the Ascension were chosen. 
Is it not the Gospel of the last Sunday after Easter 
which says : " Ask and you shall receive"? St. Mamer- 
tus remembered this, and put under the protection of 
this solemn promise his celebrated institution, which the 
entire Church soon adopted. " It seemed," says Bossuet, 
*'that the Church wished to lay upon Jesus Christ as- 
cending into heaven all her desires, as the true Mediator 
for man with God." {CatecJi. des Fetes,) 

In the processions of the rogation-days, as in that of 
St. Mark, the Church prays for the fruits of the earth. 
Not to join therein is to aifect a stupid independence: 
the rich as well as the poor, and more than the poor, 
because His domains are vaster ; the city man as well as 
he who tills the fields, need God. (See what has been 
said of processions in general, page 89.) 

Tlie Ascension. — The fortieth day following His resur- 
rection. Our Lord appeared a last time to His disciples, 
ate with them, led them to the Mount of Olives, and 
there, toward noon, arose into heaven in their pres- 
ence : this is the mystery celebrated on this day. The 
paschal candle is extinguished after the gospel, to 
indicate that Jesus Christ, the true light, has left the 
earth. 

Tlie Finding of the Holy Cross ^ May M.—Wq borrow 
from the Roman breviary the story of this marvellous 
event. ' ' After the signal victory which the Emperor 
Constantine won over Maxentius, thanks to the divine 
sign revealed by heaven, Helena, his mother, admonished 
in a dream, went to Jerusalem, to discover the sacred 
tree of our redemption. In the first place she threw 



226 The Liturgical Year, 

down the marble statue whicli paganism, to efface all 
vestige of the passion, had raised to Venus on the very 
spot of the crucifixion. By her orders were also de- 
stroyed the statues of Adonis and Jupiter on the Saviour's 
cradle and the tomb of the Kesurrection. Then they 
proceeded to the excavations on Calvary. Three crosses 
w-ere found at a great depth; the inscription placed above 
the Saviour's head was discovered on another side. It 
was important to know wiiich of these three crosses had 
been consecrated by the blood of the adorable Victim. 
God dissipated all doubts by a miracle. Macarius, bishop 
of Jerusalem, prayed fervently to heaven, and had the 
crosses brought to the bedside of a lady who was dan- 
gerously ill. The first two had no effect, but the third 
restored her instantly to health. 

"In the place where she had found the cross, the pious 
empress built a magnificent church, where was relig- 
iously preserved, in a silver case, a part of the holy relic; 
the other part was sent to Constantine at Rome, who 
placed it in the church called ' the Holy Cross of Jeru- 
salem.' '' 

The feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross was in the 
beginning celebrated in the temple built by St. Helena on 
Calvary ; it spread through the Catholic world with the 
fragments of the true cross. Each church enriched by 
this precious treasure wished to celebrate the anniversary 
of its miraculous discovery, which took place on May 3d 
in the year 326. If we would enter into the spirit of this 
feast, let us think that the cross is to many Christians 
lost and hidden. In sufferings they murmur, or revolt, 
or blaspheme; but suffering is a treasure, a precious 
stone, a crown. Whence comes such conduct? The 



I I I I IIH W 



Paschal Time and Pentecost. 22? 

cross is not known ; let us ask God, for ourselves and 
our brethren, that we may discover this rich treasure. 

2. PENTECOST TIME. 

Tlie Feast of Perdecost. — Jesus Christ has given us 
part of all that He possessed. As God He had a Father; 
He gave Him to us when He taught us to pray " Our 
Father Who art in heaven." As man He had a mother ; 
she became ours on Calvary. In the Incarnation His 
Divinity was clothed with a body and soul ; He presents- 
us with them in the Eucharist, with His divine nature, 
that they may become our food. King of heaven. He 
has gone there to prepare a place for us. What has 
Jesus Christ that man has not possessed in his turn ? 
His Spirit ; and behold, He gives Him to us in the great 
solemnity of Pentecost. 

On this day Our Lord put the last touch to the work 
of our redemption. The perfect alliance of God with 
man, promised for forty centuries, was then accom- 
plished. That which the jubilee year, or the fiftieth year, 
was to the Jews, the fiftieth day was to the disciples of 
Jesus Christ and the entire world. The jubilee brought 
liberty to all ; Pentecost has given it to the earth ; for, 
says St. Paul, " where the Spirit of the Lord is, there 
is liberty." (ii. Cor. iii. 17.) 

The Church, as a mother full of wisdom, wishes that 
the joys of which her Spouse has made her the reposi- 
tory should be the recompense to Christians for their 
prayers and their desires. Advent has prepared us for 
the joys of the crib ; Lent for those of the Resurrection ; 
paschal time for those of Pentecost. 



228 The Liturgical Year, 

Blessing of the Fo7its. — On the eve of Pentecost the 
fonts are blessed, as on Holy Saturday. This ceremony 
was formerly followed by the solemn administration of 
baptism to those who had not been able to receive it at 
Easter. Different motives pointed out this day to the 
choice of the Church : the descent of the Holy Ghost 
upon the apostles had been announced as being to 
them a second baptism (Acts i.) ; the apostles baptized 
three thousand Jews on Pentecost; the regeneration of 
the soul by baptism is the first operation of the Holy 
Spirit. 

Symlolism of Pentecost Time, — Pentecost is the mem- 
orable day of the birth of the Church, in the upper room 
of the last supper ; the days which are to follow to Ad- 
vent recall to us her life of pilgrimage across the cen- 
turies. As the liturgic time of Pentecost rolls away, the 
days become shorter and colder, image of life and of the 
world ; the light of charity and of faith fades little by 
little ; scarcely will it show its feeble rays at the coming 
of the Sovereign Judge. 

The gospel of the last Sunday after Pentecost unfolds 
before our eyes the judgment, the supreme drama in the 
world's existence ; then the Church militant will enter 
into the joy of beatitude and rest. Filled with the Spirit 
from on high, the laborers of the Father of the family 
went after Pentecost to water with their sweat or their 
blood the divine heritage, and for the Church began 
the labors of her spiritual harvest. Green, which is 
worn in this liturgic period, symbolizes well the harvest 
which sprouts and which increases. 

Feast of the Holy Trinity. — This feast, placed at the 
beginning of the Pentecost season, recalls io us that the 



iiii iii iiiii 



Paschal Time and Pentecost. 229 

apostles, after the descent of the Holy Ghost, hastened 
to preach the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The Church 
has already honored by a special feast each one of the 
divine Persons: Christmas was for the Father, Easter 
for the Son, Pentecost for the Holy Ghost. But on 
this day the liturgy unites them in the same feast, in 
order to chant the great dogma of the Unity in the 
Trinity. 

Corpus CJiristi. — After His ascension, Jesus Christ 
has willed to remain in the tabernacle, to be the strength 
of His spouse in the combats of her pilgrimage. The 
grateful Church has instituted a feast to celebrate the 
greatness of a God humbled and concealed under the eu- 
ciiaristic veils : it is Corpus Christi, or the feast of Jesus 
Christ in the Eucharist. Corpus Christi was not always 
celebrated in the Church. A venerable religious hospi- 
taller, Juliana of Mont-Corneillon, of the city of Liege, 
learned from Our Lord in a revelation that He desired 
the institution of a feast to honor the sacrament of His 
love. The plan received the approbation of Urban lY., 
but the death of the Pontiff delayed its execution. The 
glory of definitely establishing this solemnity was re- 
served to a French pope. It was Clement Y., in the 
general Council held at Yienne in 1311. 

Feast of the Sacred Heart. — A humble religious named 
Margaret Mary Alacoque, of the Order of the Yisitation, 
was in adoration during the octave of Corpus Christi, 
when Our Lord appeared to her and expressed ihe desire 
to see the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi con- 
secrated to the celebration of a particular feast in honor 
of His Heart, to repair the outrages which. He receives 
in the Sacrament of the Altar. 



•230 The Liturgical Year, 

The pious maiden, treated as a visionary, saw a violent 
:storm arise around her, but Jesus Christ watched over 
her, and with a look calmed the tempest. "We will not 
repeat all the divers phases through which this devotion 
has passed. The institution of the new^ feast was not 
obtained until the pontificate of Clement XIII., in 1765, 
and did not become general till the time of Pius IX., in 
1857. There is now no part of the Catholic world 
where the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not 
established. 

Nativity of St, John the Baptist^ June 24th. — This 
feast, one of the oldest in the liturgy, w^as for a long 
time preceded by a fast-day and a Lent of three weeks, 
in memory of the penitent life of the holy Precursor. 
An angel had announced that "many should re- 
joice at His birth." (St. Luke i. 14.) This joy flowed 
dow^n through the Christian world from the moun- 
tains of Hebron. The fires w^hich are lighted upon 
the heights in the evening of this day are a souvenir 
of the joy brought by this feast to all Christian 
hearts. 

Feast of JSts. Peter and Paul^ Jurie 2dth, — In the 
year 67 of the Christian era, and the 29th day of June, 
Saint Peter and Saint Paul left the damp cell in the 
Mamertine prison to be led to execution. The former 
was to be crucified ; but the latter, because his title of 
Koman citizen gave him the right to a more honorable 
death, w-as to be decapitated by the sword. At a little 
distance from Rome, on the Ostian Way, the two apostles 
separated. 

** Peace be with thee, head of the Church, shepherd of 
all Christ's lambs," said St. Paul. 



Paschal Time and Pentecost. 231 

^* Go in peace, herald of heavenly joys, guide of the 
just in the way of salvation," responded St. Peter. 

The veneration of centuries has carved these words on 
the pediment of the Church of the Farewells, built on 
the spot of the separation, and there they are still to be 
read. 

The procession divided. St. Peter, taken to the Janic- 
ulum, the place of common executions, was scourged, 
and crucified head downwards. Two Christian women 
remained at the foot of the cross, like the women on 
Calvary; they gathered up in linen cloths the blood of 
the glorious martyr. 

St. Paul continued on the Ostian Way. The patrician 
lady Plautilla, a new Veronica, weeping, accompanied 
the mournful procession. Upon the place of martyrdom 
she took off her veil at St. Paul's request, and gave it to 
him to bandage his eyes, according to the Eoman custom. 
After a fervent prayer Tie offered himself to the execu- 
tioners. His head bounded thrice upon the ground, and 
where it came in contact with the earth three fountains 
burst forth, which are to be seen at this day. 

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, July 2d. — This 
13 the feast commemorative of the visit of Mary to St. 
Elizabeth in the mountains of Hebron. '* Blessed art 
thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy 
womb," cried the spouse of Zachary at the sight of the 
august Virgin whose divine maternity had been revealed 
to her by the Holy Spirit. The beautiful canticle of the 
Magnificat was the response of the humble Mary. 

This feast was established because of a great schism 
in the West. The Church had striven for a long time 
to put an end to these deplorable divisions ; the charity 



232 The Liturgical Year, 

shown by Mary in her visit to her -cousin prompted 
Pope Urban VI. to place under the protection of the 
mystery of the Visitation such an important enterpris(^ 
He hoped by the intercession of the Mother of Beautiful 
Love to lead these two parties to give each other the 
kiss of peace ; his hope was not deceived , as history 
shows us. 

If Mary unites the sad divisions of the Church, let us 
have recourse to her, begging her to bring into the pale 
of unity those who live separated from it. Many sheep 
have been stolen from the fold of Christ by schism ; let 
us pray this tender shepherdess to lead them back to 
the Church's sheepfold. 

Perhaps more than one reader has asked himself why 
the Visitation is celebrated on July 2d. In the beginning 
of April Mary left Nazareth to go to Hebron ; it would 
seem that the date of the feast should have been then. 
Some churches, it is true, at first chose that period, but 
generally it was preferred to transfer the celebration 
because of Holy Week, with which it often would have 
collided. It was thought then that there was no better 
time to select than July 2d, anniversary of Mary's re- 
turn. She^ passed three months in Elizabeth's house, 
remaining in Hebron till the octave of the birth of St. 
John the Baptist, the day of his circumcision ; but the 
next day, July 2d, she set out for Nazareth. 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel^ July 16tJi. — From the 
heights of Carmel Elias had the vision of the mysterious 
little cloud which, changing into rain, brought blessed 
fruitfulness upon the sterile fields. 

This cloud, according to the doctors, prophesied Mary. 
And Elias and his disciples honored on Mount Carmel 



i imi ir i iii 







eg 



PascJial Time and Pentecost, 233'^ 

her who was to be in the course of ages the blessed 
Mother of the Redeemer. Mary, long before her birth, 
was already the Lady of Mount Carmel. 

The delicious solitudes of this mountain, and, still 
more, its great memories, drew there many Christians. 
It is even believed that a chapel in Mary's honor was 
raised there during her life, in the very place where the^ 
prophet had seen the mysterious cloud. Thus Carmel 
was the first place on earth to be solemnly dedicated io 
Mary, where the powerful name of the Advocate of the 
Church was invoked. A^ heirs of the devotion of the 
prophets and the first Christians, in the twelfth century 
some religious took Our Lady of Mount Carmel for their 
founder and superior, and called themselves Brothers of 
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or simply Carmelites. The 
Holy See authorized them to celebrate an annual feast, 
to solemnize the dedication of the first oratory built on 
Carmel and to recognize the graces wiiich the Blessed 
Virgin had poured forth from there so abundantly. 
This solemnity was fixed for the 16th of July, in mem- 
ory of a signal favor shown their order on that day. 
Mary appeared to Simon Stock, general of the Car- 
melites, accompanied by a multitude of heavenly spirits, 
and holding in her hand a scapular, a little brown 
woollen habit. She told him that she would be favor- 
able to all who associated themselves with the Congrega- 
tion of Carmel by wearing this holy habit ; that she would 
consider them as her children, protect them in dangers, 
and assist them in the hour of their death to escape the 
eternal flames. Fifty years later the Blessed Virgin ap- 
peared to Pope John XXII. , and promised especial as- 
sistance on the Saturday following their death to the^ 



"234 The Liturgical Year, 

members of the Confraternity of the Scapular con- 
demned to purgatory, provided that during their life 
they had observed the three following conditions : 1st, 
to carefully wear the scapular even to their death ; 2d, 
to guard inviolate chastity, each accordiug to his state ; 
3d, to recite each day the Little Office of the Blessed 
Virgin, or, if they could not read, to fast on the days 
commanded by the Church, and abstain every Wednes- 
day and Friday of the year, except on Christmas, or 
during illness, or when prevented by some other valid 
reason. The bull in which John XXII. accorded these 
favors bears the name of Sdbhatine^ or of Saturday, and 
from this the promise of Mary to her faithful servants 
of consolation on the Saturday after their death is called 
the Bahhatine indulgence. 

Our Bady of the Snow^ August hth. — The sanctuary 
the dedication of which the Church celebrates to-day 
bears different names. It is called the Liberian basilica, 
after Pope Liberius, its founder. Later it was dedicated 
to the Blessed Virgin, and enriched by the precious gift 
of the crib of Our Lord, whence it took its name of 
Santa Maria ad Praesepe, and also Santa Maria Mag- 
giore, or major, the greatest, for, as Peter the Venerable 
says, after the basilica of the Lateran, dedicated to Our 
Saviour, this of which w^e speak is the most celebrated, 
not in Eome only, but throughout the entire world. 
(Lib. ii., Be Mir acid.) 

This church owes its renown above all to the miracu- 
lous event which gave it its name of Our Lady of Snows. 
Under the pontificate of Liberius, a patrician named 
John and his wife, being childless, had consecrated all 
their goods to the Blessed Virgin. By fervent prayers 



Paschal Time and Pentecost. 235 

they supplicated her to show them the use to which they 
should put their riches. On August 5th, when the heat 
is greatest at Rome, the Esquiline hill was whitened by 
a tall of snow during the night. At the same time these 
pious people received in a dream the answer of the 
Elessed Virgin to their request, who ordered them to 
build a temple on the spot which they should find cov- 
ered with snow. The tidings were carried to Pope Li- 
berius, who had the same dream. The people went to 
the Esquiline in procession, and all were witnesses to 
the event, the memory of which is perpetuated through 
the ages by the feast of this day. 

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin^ August 16t7i. — A 
death without suffering, a tomb without corruption, the 
anticipated resurrection of a glorious body, this is the 
triple mystery solemnized under the name of the As- 
sumption of the Blessed Virgin. 

The God Who from all ages had exempted her who 
was to be His mother from the corruption of Adam's 
sin, would not suffer the pure body from which the body 
of Jesus Christ was formed to see corruption in death. 
She was taken up into heaven to be crowned the Queen 
of angels, and to be man's advocate and help in his 
struggle to reach the eternal goal. The Introit of this 
day gives us the key to the Church's feeling ; and what 
should be our own when we think that our mother and 
advocate is seated at the right hand of her Son in bliss 
eternal ! ''Let us all rejoice in the Lord, while we cele- 
brate this festival in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
for whose assumption the angels rejoice and praise the 
Son of God." 

JVativity of the Blessed Virgin, Septemher Sth. — For 



286 The Liturgical Year, 

the third time the Church unites her children around a 
cradle. If the first two were surrounded with glory, 
this one is enveloped with veils of silence. We find 
nothing in the Gospel of the different circumstances 
which must have accompanied the birth of the Blessed 
Virgin. Who were her father and her mother ? What 
place saw her birth ? The Scriptures do not tell us. 
The humble Virgin had no wish that she should be 
spoken, of in those pages which retraced the life of Jesus 
Christ. All that we know has been transmitted by tradi- 
tion. Her father w^as called Joachim, and was of the 
race of the kings of Juda. Anne, her mother, descended 
from the high-priest Aaron. She was born at ISTazareth, 
on the 8th of September, and the name of Mary was 
given her, which means queen, and star of the sea. 

Several authors tell us that the establishment of this 
feast is owing to a miraculous event. A holy religious' 
every year heard during the night concerts of angels 
who celebrated a feast in heaven. He asked God to 
show him the reason for this joy, and it was revealed to 
him that the celestial choirs honored the birth of Mary, 
which took place on that day. This being laid before the 
Holy See, the feast was established. To-day is the feast 
of the birth of our mother ; let us offer her a bouquet of 
those flowers which she best loves, and among them 
the flower which she looks upon with the keenest pleas- 
ure, humility. If our birth be humble, let us never blush 
for it ; if it be illustrious, let us avoid speaking of it. 
May this resolution, laid at the feet of Mary, be our 
birthday bouquet ! 

Feast of the Holy JSTame of Mary. — This feast is ap- 
pointed for the Sunday following the Nativity af the 



Paschal Time and Pentecost, 237 

Blessed Virgin. Established in Spain in the year 1513, 
it became universal toward the year 1683, under Inno- 
cent XI. , in gratitude for the protection of Mary during 
the siege of Vienna. The Christians, strong in the help 
of her who is "terrible as an army in battle array," 
forced the Turks to raise the siege. If this bulwark of 
Christianity had fallen into their, power, one trembles at 
the thought of the evils which would have been poured 
over Europe. This name, given by God Himself, accord- 
ing to tradition, to her who should be His Mother, signi- 
fies Star of the sea. Ocean of bitterness, and Illumi- 
nator. "Thou art," says one of her pious servants, 
" an ocean of bitterness to the demons, a shining star to 
those who sail through this poor world, a radiant light 
for those who are plunged in darkness, and even for the 
angels who rejoice in heaven." {Fasciculus preciim 
Gatliol,) 

Exaltation of. the Holy Cross, Septemher lUh. — 
When Jesus Christ went up to Calvary laden with His 
cross. He met upon His way' only insult and contempt; 
according to the Jewish law a curse covered with its ana- 
thema the man condemned to this infamous execution. 
Who would then have dared say that this insulted cross 
would one day be glorious and venerated, that it would 
become as a shining throne from which Jesus Christ 
would receive the homage of people and kings ? Yet 
even then a few hours had scarcely elapsed when al- 
ready the voice of entire nature proclaimed the triumph 
•of the cross. The murderers beat their breasts ; one of 
the thieves crucified beside the Saviour recognized Him 
as his God. This was the first exaltation of the cross : 
Jesus Christ crucified received then the homage of sor- 



238 TJie Liturgical Year, 

rowing nature and of the repentant murderers. Miracu- 
lously recovered by the care of the Empress Helena, the- 
cross had become the object of holy veneration to the 
Christians. But at the end of the sixth century, Khosru, 
king of Persia, having taken possession of Jerusalem, 
carried into his states the wood of the true cross. The- 
Emperor Heraclius made offers for the ransom of this 
precious relic ; the barbarous king accepted them, on 
the condition that the Eomans would renounce their 
religion and adore the sun. The negotiations were- 
broken off, and a campaign entered upon. Khosru was 
vanquished, and put to death by his son, who accepted 
the conditions of peace imposed upon him by the victor. 
The cross was returned, and Heraclius himself wished ta- 
bear it upon his shoulders to Calvary. Six centuries^ 
after this event, the memory of which is for ever conse- 
crated by the feast of this day, St. Louis of France- 
came to receive at the gates of Paris the cross and the 
instruments of the passion, presents from Baldwin, em- 
peror of Constantinople ; the king, denuded of all royal 
apparel and barefooted, bore them upon his shoulders 
to the holy chapel, which he had built to receive these 
sacred relics. This was on the 14th of September, 1241. 
It must be said, however, that God had not waited for 
Heraclius and St. Louis to exalt the cross in the world. 
Since Constantine it had been shining on the pediments 
of public monuments, on the standards of armies. 
This was the second exaltation of the cross : Jesus Christ 
received the homage of power and of courage ; He called: 
to Himself every grandeur. 

But another, more complete and more solemn triumph 
is promised to the cross : on the last day it will judges 



Paschal Time and Pentecost, 239 

the world. When it shines forth, luminous upon the 
clouds of heaven, all heads will bow before it, the angels 
and the demons, the elect and the reprobate. This is 
the supreme exaltation of the cross which will receive 
then the homage of all generations. May all these great 
memories excite in our hearts sentiments of respect for 
the instrument of our salvation ! Let us give it a place 
of honor in our houses ; let us form the holy habit 
of wearing it religiously on our hearts ; let us salute 
it with love when we meet it in our way. And let 
us not forget that there are infidel countries where the 
cross does not yet shine ; the missionary has the pang 
of seeing it trodden under foot. Let us pray that soon 
it will arise, like a luminous star, in the midst of the 
pagan countries of the far East. 

Our Lady of the Rosary. — This feast, instituted by 
Pope St. Pius v., recalls to us the victory won by the 
Catholic army over the Turks at Lepanto on October 
7, 1571. The triumph was obtained through the prayers 
of the Confraternity of the Holy Eosary, and bore its 
name. The suitability of the' chant of the Ave 2Iari$ 
Stella on this feast is striking; the Church sings it at 
Vespers, at the hour when the sea beheld the triumph 
of the Christian fleet protected by Mary. 

The devotion to the rosary is older than the feast 
which bears its name. Under its actual form it dates 
from St. Dominic, but its origin goes back much further. 
The anchorites of the first centuries, in order not to 
interrupt the work of their hands, learned certain 
prayers, principally psalms, and repeated them each 
day a definite number of times. For those who could 
not read it was the Lord's Prayer, or other formulas 



"240 The Liturgical Year. 

short and easy to remember. That they might not for- 
get one, they had under the skirts of their vestments a 
number of little stones corresponding to the number of 
prayers which had been imposed upon theto, and they 
threw away one for each prayer recited. 

In the eleventh century we learn from William of 
Malmesbury {Be Pontif.^ 1. iv. c. 4) that Godiva, wife of 
Oount Leofric, had the habit of rolling in her fingers a 
circle of precious stones strung upon a cord, and of re- 
citing a prayer as she touched each gem, that she might 
not omit any. Some years later, Peter the Hermit, to 
make the means of prayer easier to those crusaders who 
could not read, put into their hands the chaplet properly 
so called. St. Dominic then followed and gave this de- 
votion its definite form. 

The word chaplet and the word rosary signify a crown 
of roses. Each of its beads is like a flower serving to 
make the crown of the Queen of heaven, whom the 
Church calls the Mystical Kose. 

All Saints^ JS'ovemher 1st. — The liturgic year is the 
life of the human race. -With its four weeks Advent 
figures the four thousand years of prayers and sighs 
before the coming of the Messias. From Christmas to 
the Ascension we kneel by turns at the foot of the crib, 
the cross, the sepulchre, and, filled with the rich bless- 
ings of Jesus ascending into heaven, we wait prayerfully 
the coming of the Holy Ghost into our souls. Then 
begins, as we have seen, the life of pilgrimage of the 
Church. To raise his courage ^the traveller loves to turn 
his eyes toward that side of the horizon where his hopes 
lie. Now, in her pilgrimage, the goal toward which the 
Church aspires is heaven. This is why we keep the feast 



Paschal Time and Pentecost, 241 

of heaven at this period. It was introduced into the 
liturgy in the seventh century. Pope Boniface IV. in 
610, having obtained the Pantheon for a church, dedi- 
cated it to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs, which 
gave this monument the name of Holy Mary of the 
Martyrs. In the following century Gregory III. con- 
secrated, in the church of St. Peter, a chapel in honor of 
ill! the saints. By degrees, because of the intimate con- 
nection of this solemnity with the preceding one, the 
two feasts formed but one, and their celebration was 
fixed for November 1st. The saints are classed by the 
Church in different orders : the apostles, martyrs, con- 
fessors, virgins, and holy women. None of these terms, 
except confessor, needs explanation ; we will speak of this 
here. In the primitive Church the name of confessor 
was given to any Christian who, after having confessed 
the faith of Jesus Christ openly before his, judges, 
was condemned to another punishment than death. 
The name of martyr was reserved for those who suf- 
fered the extreme penalty. The era of persecution 
passed, and the title of confessor was given to the just 
who, after having lived in the practice of all the virtues, 
died in the odor of sanctity. Have they not also given 
testimony to the religion of Christ by the splendor of 
their works ? Have they not, by strong combat with 
vice, confessed Our Lord ? 

All JSouls, November 2d. — Nature has taken care to 
prepare our hearts for the sadness of this day. For the 
joyous feast of the Eucharist she had her bluest sky, 
her sweetest flowers ; on the day of All Souls she is clad 
in mourning. This is the first harmony which springs 
from this feast. But there are more. To man, forget- 



242 The Liturgical Year, 

ful of his last end, God has been pleased to constantly 
recall the inexorableness of death. Each of the days 
which make up our short existence he has made an 
image of our life. Dawn is youth, so fleeting ; its 
glow lasts but a little time. Scarcely has the sun 
arisen than it descends to the horizon, and no sooner 
has man attained the strength of maturity, of intelli- 
gence, than he leans toward the decline of his days. 
Evening is old age, and night is death ; its silence, its 
obscurity, the abandonment of creatures, are they not a 
faithful image of the tomb ? The year in its turn places 
before our eyes these great reminders, annoying to the 
majority. The smile of springtime figures the graces of 
early youth, and icy winter — winter with its mantle of 
snow, winter from which we seek to flee — does it not re- 
mind us of that dreaded age when cold will numb our 
vigor, our hair will whiten, when we shall find but empty 
spaces around our hearth ? The wise man, then, sees 
around him the twilight of eternity. 

The Church, in choosing this season for the celebration 
of All Souls, has, as always, given proof of her profound 
wisdom. What a delicate thought to choose for it the 
day after All Saints, and even to begin it on the evening 
of that solemnity ! In doing this she has wished to show 
us that All Saints is the true feast of the Church 
triumphant, the Church militant, and the Church suffer- 
ing. The canticles of joy, interrupted by the plaintive 
accents of the De Profundis^ tell us that the three sisters 
have joined hands to help one another to reach supreme 
happiness. 

The feast or the commemoration of the dead was 
originally a holy-day, like Sunday; then it was reduced to 



Paschal Time and Pentecost, 24^ 

a half -holy day which ended at noon, and for this reason 
it has no second Vespers. 

Feast of the Dedication. — Our churches are the tents 
of the God of the Eucharist. He remains therein per- 
petually, to be the strength and the support of human- 
ity in its combats. To this temple sanctified by the pray- 
ers of the Church, and by the presence of the thrice-holy 
God, a feast has been consecrated to recall the grandeur 
of our edifices, and to thank God for the graces which 
He gives us there each day. This feast, under the name 
of the Dedication, is celebrated in France on the Sun- 
day which follows the Octave of All Saints. The liturgic* 
period, which represents the pilgrimage of the Church 
throughout the centuries, draws to a close. Soon the- 
last gospel of Pentecost time will recount the history 
of the Last Day. This date is not far distant ; this is. 
why the spouse of Jesus Christ, raising her eyes toward 
heaven, considers there the eternal temple which will 
replace that built by man to the Lord : Jesus Christ i& 
its altar ; the elect are its stones ; the apostles its foun- 
dation. This heavenly Jerusalem is the object of the 
divine chants of this solemnity. 

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin^ JVovember 21si. — 
Tradition says that Mary, at the age of three years and 
1^ two months, was offered to God in the Temple at. Jeru- 
^tsalem by her pious parents. It is commonly believed 
^Bthat this was done in fulfilment of a vow made to the 
^^bjord. For many years childless, they had promised to 
|»cons«crate to Jehovah the child which should be given 
them. This child of miracle was Mary. Her first years 
literally passed in the shadow of the Lord's wings, in the 
part of the Temple destined to receive Israel's young 



244 The Liturgical Year. 

maidens. Prayer, the study of the Scriptures, and work 
divided her moments. This is all that we know of the 
eleven years that the Blessed Virgin passed in the Tem- 
ple. The feast of the Presentation, celebrated in the 
East from all antiquity, was introduced into the West 
•toward 1372. Avignon, then the residence of the popes, 
liad the glory of first celebrating the new solemnity. 

Patron Feast. — The Church, in her solicitude for the 
salvation of her children, has given a protector to each 
kingdom, each diocese, each parish, each confraternity, 
to each Christian. This protector, chosen among the 
saints in heaven, is honored under a name which ex- 
presses the affection of a father for his family : the 
name of patron. 

In the first centuries the churches were not distin- 
guished from each other but by a title which bore di- 
rectly upon God, under the invocation of a mystery. 
Thus there were churches dedicated to Our Saviour, 
Christ, the Trinity, the Paraclete, the Transfiguration, 
etc. But as a temple was never built but on the burial- 
place of some saint, or upon his relics, the custom soon 
spread of giving the sacred edifice the -name of this 
saint, although the temple was always consecrated to 
God only. It happened that certain churches took for 
patrons saints whose relics and tombs they did not 
possess ; a particular devotion fixed their choice. The 
patronage most often claimed was without question that 
of the Blessed Virgin ; it is necessary but to look around 
ns to be convinced of this. When several altars can 
be erected in the same church there is always one to 
the Mother of God. 

Formerly the patron feast of the diocese was of obli- 



Paschal Time and Pentecost, 245 

gation, like Sunday; that of the parish was only obliga- 
tory to those who belonged to it. This celebration is 
now transferred to the following Sunday. 

Sundays after Pentecost. — There cannot be between 
Pentecost and Advent less than twenty-three Sundays 
nor more than twenty-eight. The office of the twenty- 
fourth is always said on the Sunday before Advent. 
If between the twenty- third and the last Sunday there 
is but one Sunday, the Mass of the sixth Sunday after 
Epiphany is said. If there are two, the Masses of the 
fifth and sixth are said. If there are three, those of the 
fourth, fifth, and sixth are said ; and if there are four, 
those of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. 



THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 



IN nomipe Patris, et Filii, 
et Spiritus Sancti. 
Amen. 
Ant. Introibo ad altare 
Dei. 

B. Ad Deum, qui laetificat 
Juventutem meam. 



I 



N the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, etc. 
Amen. 

Ant. I will go in to the 
altar of God. 

B. To God, Who rejoiceth 
my youth. 



PSALM XLII. 



p. Judica me, Deus, et dis- 
-cerne causam meam de gente 
non sancta : ab homine ini- 
quo (jt doloso erue me. 

B Quia tu es, Deus, for- 
titude mea, quare me repu- 
listi, et quare tristis incedo 
«dum affligit me inimicus ? 

P. Emitte lucem tuam et 
Teritatem tuam : ipsa me de- 
duxerunt, et adduxerunt in 
montem sanctum tuum, et in 
tabernacula tua. 

B. Et introibo ad altare 
D€i ; ad Deum qui Isetificat 
juveiitutem meam. 

P. Confitebor tibi in ci- 
thara, Deus, Deus mens : 
quure tristis es, anima mea ? 
€t quare conlurbas me ? 



B, Spera in Deo, quoniam 
adhuc confitebor illi : salu- 



P Judge me, God, and 
distinguish my cause from 
the nation that is not holy : 
from the unjust and deceit- 
ful man deliver me. 

B. Since Thou, O God, 
art my strength, why hast 
Thou rejected me ; and why 
do I go sorrowful whilst the 
enemy affiicteth me ? 

P. Send forth Thy light 
and Thy truth ; they have 
conducted and brought me 
unto the holy mount, and 
into Thy tabernacles. 

B. And I will go in to the 
altar of God : to God Who 
rejoiceth my youth. 

P. I will praise Thee on 
the harp, O God, my God : 
why art thou sorrowful, O 
my soul? and why dost thou 
disturb me ? 

B. Hope in God, for Him 
will I still praise : He is my 



246 



The Ordinary of the Mass, 



247 



tare vultus mei, et Deus 
meus. 

P. Gloria Patri, et Filio, 
et Spiritui Sancto. 

R. Sicut erat in principio, 
et nunc, et semper, et in 
saecula sseculorum. Amen. 

P. Introibo ad altare Dei. 

a. Ad Deum qui Igetificat 
juventutem meam. 

P. Adjutorium nostrum in 
nomine Domini. 

P. Qui fecit coelum et ter- 
ram. 

P. Confiteor Deo omnipo- 
tenti, etc. 

P. Misereatur tui omnipo- 
tens Deus, et dimissis pec- 
catis tuis, perducat te ad 
vitam geternam. 

P. Amen. 

P. Confiteor Deo omnipo- 
tenti, beatse Mariae semper 
virgini, beato Michael i Arch- 
angelo, beato Joanni Bap- 
tiste, Sanctis apostolis Petro 
et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, 
et tibi Pater, quia peccavi 
nimis cogitatione, verbo, et 
opere, mea culpa, mea culpa, 
mea maxima culpa. Ideo 
precor beatam Mariam sem- 
per virginem, beatum Mi- 
chaelem Archangelum, bea- 
tum Joannem Baptistam, 
sanctos apostolos Petrum 
et Paulum, omnes sanctos, 



God, and the Saviour I look 
for. 

P. Glory be to the Father, 
and to the Son, etc. 

P. As it was in the begin- 
ning, is now, and ever shall 
be, world without end. 
Amen. 

P. I will go in to the altar 
of God. 

P. To God Who rejoiceth 
my youth. 

P. Our help is in the name 
of the Lord. 

P. Who made heaven and 
earth. 

P. I confess to Almighty 
God, etc. 

P. May Almighty God be 
merciful to thee, and, forgiv- 
ing thee thy sins, bring thee 
to everlasting life, 

P. Amen. 

P. I confess to Almighty 
God, to the blessed Mary 
ever virgin, blessed Michael 
the Archangel, blessed John 
the Baptist, the holy apos- 
tles Peter and Paul, to all 
the saints, and to you, 
Father, that I have sinned 
exceedingly in thought, 
word, and deed, through 
my fault, through my fault, 
through my most grievous 
fault. Therefore I beseech 
the blessed Mary ever vir- 
gin, blessed Michael the 
Archangel, blessed John the 
Baptist, the holy apostles 
Peter and Paul, and all the 
saints, and you, O Father, 



248 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 



et te, Pater, orare pro me ad 
Dominutn Deum nostrum. 

P. Miseieatur vestii om- 
nipotens Deus et dimissis 
peccatis vestris, perducat vos 
ad vitam setermim. 

R. Amen. 

P. Indulgentiam, absolu- 
tiouem, et remissionem pec- 
catorum nostrorum, tribuat 
nobis omnipotens et miseri- 
cors Dominus. 

R. Amen. 

P. Deus, t u con versus 
vivificabis nos. 

R. Et plebs tua Isetabitur 
in te. 

P. Ostende nobis, Do- 
mine, misericord iam tuam. 

i?. Et sal u tare tuum da 
nobis. 

P. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor naeus ad te 
veniat. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



to pray to the Lord our Got] 
for me. 

P. May Almighty God b(^ 
merciful unto you, and, for- 
giving you your sins, brin^- 
you to life everlasting. 

R. Amen. 

P. May the almighty an(i 
most merciful Lord grant us 
pardon, absolution, and re- 
mission of our sins.j 

R. Amen. 

P. O God, Thou being 
turned toward us, wilt en- 
liven us. 

R. And Thy people will 
rejoice in Thee. 

P. Show us, O Lord, Thy 
mercy. 

R. And grant us Thy sal- 
vation. 

P. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cr}^ come 
unto Thee. 

P. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 



The Priest going to the Altar ^ says : 

Take aw^ay from as our iniquities, we beseeeh Thee, O 
Lord, that w^e may be worthy to enter, with pure minds, 
into the Holy of holies : through, etc. Amen. 

Bowing down^ he says : 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy saints 
whose relics are here, and of all the saints, that Thou 
wouldst vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins. Amen. 



IIII II I H PI 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 



249 



Whilst he reads the Introit^ say : 
Let the name of the Lord be blessed both now and 
for ever. From the rising to the setting of the sun all 
■ praise is due to the name of the Lord, Who is like the 
Lord our God, Who dwells on high, and looks on all that 
is humble both in heaven and earth ? Glory be to the 
Father, etc. 







THE KYRIE 


P. 

E. 
P. 
R. 


Kyrie eleison. 
Kyrie eleison. 
Kyrie eleison. ' 
Christe eleison. 


P. 

R, 
P. 
R, 


P. 


Christe eleison. 


us. 
P. 


R. 


Christe eleison. 


us. 
R. 


P. 
R. 
P. 


Kyrie eleison. 
Kyrie eleison. 
Kyrie eleison. 


us 

. p. 

R. 
P. 



Lord have mercy on us. 
Lord have mercy on us. 
Lord have mercy on us. 
Christ have mercy on 

Christ have mercy on 

Christ have mercy on 

Lord have mercy on us. 
Lord have mercy on us. 
Lord have mercy on us. 



GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 



Gloria in excclsis Deo, et 
in terra pax hominibus bonse 
voluntatis. Laudamus te ; 
benedicimus te ; adoramus 
te ; glorificainuste. Gratias 
agimus tibi propter magnam 
gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, 
Rex coelestis, Deus Pater 
omnipotens. Domiue Fill 
unigeuite, Jesu Christe. 
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, 
Filius Patris, qui toUis pec- 
cata mundi, miserere nobis. 
Qui tollis peccata mundi, 
suscipe deprecationem nos- 



Glory be to God on high, 
and on earth peace to men of 
good will. We praise Thee ; 
we bless Thee ; we adore 
Thee ; we glorify Thee. We 
give Thee thanks for Thy 
great glory, O Lord God, 
heavenly King, God the 
Father Almighty. O Lord 
Jesus Christ, the only-begot- 
ten Son. O Lord God, 
Lamb of God, Son of the 
Father, Who takest away the 
sins of the world, have 
mercy on us. Who takest 



250 The Ordinary of the Mass, 

tram. Qui sedes ad dexte- away the sins of the world, 
ram Patris, miserere nobis, receive our prayers. Who 
Quoniam tu solus sanctus. sittest at the right hand of 
Tu solus Dominus. Tu so- the Father, have mercy on 
lus altissimus, Jesu Christe, us. For Thou only art the 
cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Lord. Thou only art holy. 
Dei Patris. Amen. Thou only, O Jesus Christ, 

together with the Holy 
Ghost, art most high in the 
glory of God the Father. 
Amen. 

Turning towards the people^ he says : 

P, Dominus vobiscum. P. The Lord be with you. 

E. Et cum spiritu tuo. B. And with thy spirit. 

AT THE COLLECTS. 

We humbly beseech Thee, O almighty and eternal 
God, mercifully to give ear to the prayers of Thy ser- 
vant, which be offers to Thee in the name of Thy Church, 
and on behalf of us Thy people : accept them to the 
honor of Thy name, and the good of our souls, and 
grant us all those blessings that may contribute to our 
salvation : through, etc. Amen. 

AT THE EPISTLE. 

Be Thou, O Lord, eternally praised and blessed, for 
having communicated Thy Spirit to Thy holy prophets 
and apostles, disclosing to them admirable secrets, re- 
dounding to Thy glory and our great good. We firmly 
believe their word, because it is Thine. Give us, we be- 
seech Thee, the happiness to understand their instruc- 
tions, and so conform our lives thereto, that, at the hour 
of death, we may merit to be received by Thee into the 
mansions of eternal bliss. 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 251 

At the end of the Epistle the Clerk answers : 
Deo gratias. Thanks be to God. 

DURING THE GRADUAL OR TRACT. 

How wonderful, O Lord, is Thy name through the 
whole earth ! I will bless the Lord at all times ; His 
praise shall be ever in my mouth. Be Thou my God 
and protector ; in Thee alone I put my trust; oh, let 
me never be confounded ! 

BEFORE THE GOSPEL. 

Cleanse my heart and my lips, O Almighty God, Who 
didst cleanse the lips of the prophet Isaias with a burn- 
ing coal; and vouchsafe, through Thy gracious mercy, 
so to purify me, that I may worthily attend to Thy holy 
Gospel: through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

May the Lord be in my heart, and on my lips, that I 
may worthily, and in a becoming manner, attend to His 
Gospel. Amen. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. P. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

P. Sequentia {vel initium) P. The continuation {or 

sancti Evangelii secundum, the beginning) of the holy 

etc. Gospel according to, etc. 

R. Gloria tibi, Domine. R. Glory be to Thee, O 

Lord. 

DURING THE GOSPEL. 

Be Thou ever adored and praised, Lord, Who, not 
content to instruct us by Thy prophets and apostles, hast 
even vouchsafed to speak to us by Thy only Son, Our 
Saviour Jesus Christ, commanding us by a voice from 
heaven to hear Him: grant us, merciful God, the grace 



252 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 



to profit by His divine and heavenly doctrine. All that 
is written of Thee, divine Jesus, in Thy Gospel, is truth 
itself; manifesting infinite wisdom in Thy actions; power 
and goodness in Thy miracles; light and instruction in 
Thy maxims. With Thee, sacred Redeemer, are the 
words of eternal life; to whom shall we go but to Thee» 
eternal Fountain of Truth ? I firmly believe, O God, all 
Thou teachest; give me only grace to practise what Thou 
commandest, and command what Thou pleasest. 

At the end of the Gospel^ answer: 



B, Laus tibi, Christe. 



E. Praise be to Thee, O 
Christ. 



Then add with the Priest in a low voice: 

May our sins be blotted out by the words of the 
Gospel. 

THE NICENE CREED. 



Credo in unum Deum, 
Patrem omnipoteutem, fac- 
torem cceli et terrge, visibi- 
lium omnium et iovisibilium. 

Et in unum Domiuum 
Jesum Christum, FiliuniDei 
unigenitum; et ex Patre 
natum ante omnia sgecula. 
Deum de Deo; Lumen de 
lumine ; Deum verum de 
Deo vero; genitum, non fac- 
tum; consubstantialemPatri, 
per quern omnia facta sunt. 
Qui propter nos homines, et 
propter nostram salutem, 
descendit decoelis,etincarna- 
tus est de Spiritu Sancto, ex 
Maria Yirgine, et homo f actus 



I believe in one God, the 
Father Almighty, Maker of 
heaven and earth, and of all 
things visible and invisible. 

And in one Lord Jesus 
Christ, the only - begotten 
Sou of God ; and born of the 
Father before all ages. God 
of God; Light of light; true 
God of true God; begotten, 
not made; consubstantial to 
the Father, by Whom all 
things were made. Who for 
us men, and for our salvation, 
came down from heaven, and 
became incarnate by the 
Holy Ghost of the Virgin 
Mary, and was made man. 



The Ordinary of the Mass, 



253 



est, Crucifixiis etiam pro 
nobis sub Pontio Pilato, pas- 
sus et sepultus est. Et resur- 
rexit tenia die secundum 
Scripturas. Et fj^ceudit in 
coelum, sedet ad dexteram 
Patris. Et iterum venturus 
est cum gloria judicare vivos 
et mortuos: cujus regni non 
erit finis. 



Et in Spiritum Sanctum, 
Dominum et vivilicantem, 
qui ex Patre Filioque pro- 
cedit : qui cum Patre et Filio 
simul adoratur, et conglorifi- 
catur: qui locutus est per pro- 
phetas. Et unam sanctam 
Catholicam et Apostolicam 
Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum 
baptisma in remissionem pec- 
catorum. Et expecto resur- 
rect ionem mortuorum, et vi- 
tam venturi sseculi. Amen. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 
R. Et cum spiiitu tuo. 
Oremus, 



He was crucified also for us, 
sufferedunderPontiusPilate, 
and was buried. And tlie 
third day He rose again ac- 
cording to tlie Scriptures. 
And ascended into heaven, 
sitteth at the right hand of 
the Father; and He is to 
come again with glory to 
judge thelivingandthe dead, 
of Whose kingdom there 
shall be no end. 

And in the Holy Ghost, the 
Lord and Giver of Life, Who 
proceedeth from the Father 
and the Son: Who, together 
with the Father and the Son, 
is adored and glorified: Who 
spoke by the prophets. And 
one holy Catholic and Apos- 
tolic Church. I confess one 
baptism for the remission of 
sins. And I expect the re- 
surrection of the dead, and 
tlie life of the world to come. 
Amen. 

P. The Lord be with you. 

It. And with thy spirit. 

Lei us pray. 



AT THE OFFERTORY. 

O my God, I sincerely offer myself and all I have to 
Thee, to do and suffer whatever Thou comm^ndest or 
permittest. Eeceive my offering, and cleanse me from 
my sins, that through the infinite merits of the victim 
about to be presented to Thy divine Majesty I may be- 
come acceptable in Thy sight. 



254 The Ordinary of the Mass, 

OBLATION OF THE HOST, 

•Accept, O holy Father, almighty and eternal God, 
this unspotted host, which I, Thy unworthy servant, 
offer unto Thee, my living and true God, for my innu- 
merable sins, offences, and negligences, and for all here 
present ; as also for all faithful Christians, both living 
and dead, that it may avail both me and them unto life 
everlasting. Amen. 

When the Priest pours the wine and water into the 
chalice, 

God, Who in creating human nature hast wonder- 
fully dignified it, and still more wonderfully reformed 
it, grant that, by the mystery of this water and wine, 
we may be made partakers of His divine nature, Who 
vouchsafed to become partaker of our human nature, 
namely, Jesus Christ our Lord, Thy Son, Who with 
Thee, in the unity of, etc. Amen. 

OBLATION OF THE CHALICE. 

We offer unto Thee, O Lord, the chalice of salvation, 
beseeching Thy clemency that it may ascend before Thy 
divine Majesty as a sweet odor, for our salvation, and 
for that of the whole world. Amen. 

Wlien the Priest hows hefore the altar. 

Accept us, Lord, in the spirit of humility and con- 
trition of heart, and grant that the sacrifice which wo 
offer this day in Thy sight may be pleasing to Thee, O 
Lord God. 



The Ordinary of the Mass, 



355 



WJien he blesses the bread and wine. 

Come, almighty and eternal God, the Sanctifier, 
and bless this sacrifice, prepared for the glory of Thy 
holy name. 

Washing his fingers^ he says Ps. xxv, 

I will wash my hands 
among the innocent ; and 
will compass Thy altar, O 
Lord. 

That I may hear the voice 
of Thy praise ; and tell of all 
Thy wondrous works. 

The beauty of Thy house 
I have loved, O Lord, and 
the place where Thy glory 
dwelleth. 

Take not away my soul 
with the wicked ; nor my 
life with bloody men. 

In whose hands are in- 
iquities ; their right hand is 
filled with gifts. 

But I have walked in my 
innocence ; redeem me, and 
have mercy on me. 

My foot has stood in the 
direct way ; in the churches 
I will bless Thee, O Lord. 

Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 



Lavabo inter innocentes 
manus meas, et circumdabo 
altare tuum, Domine. 

Ut audiam vocem laudis, 
et euarrem uni versa mira- 
bilia tua. 

Domine, dilexi decorem 
domus tuse, et locum habita- 
tionis glorise tuse. 

Ne perdas cum impiis ani- 
mam meam, et cum viris 
sauguinum vitam meam. 

In quorum manibus ini- 
quitates sunt ; dextera eorum 
repleta est muneribus. 

Ego autem in innocentia 
mea ingressus sum : redime 
me, et miserere mei. 

Pes mens stetit in directo : 
in ecclesiis benedicam te, 
Domine. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



Bowing before the Altar, he says : 

Keceive, O holy Trinity, this oblation which we make 
to Thee, in memory of the passion, resurrection, and 
ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honor of 
the blessed Mary, ever virgin, the blessed John the Bap- 
tist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the 



256 



The Ordinary of the Mass, 



saints, that it may be available to their honor and our 
salvation ; and may they vouchsafe to intercede for 
us in heaven whose memory we celebrate on earth. 
Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. 



Taming towards the people^ he says ; 



P. Orate fratres, ut meum 
ac vestrumsaciiticiuniaccep- 
tabile fiat apud Deum Pa- 
trem omnipotentem. 

R. Suscipiat Donainus sac- 
xificiuiu de mauibus tuis, ad 
Jaudem et glodam nomiuis 
sui, ad utilitatem .quoque 
nostram, totiusque Ecclesiae 
suae sanctse. 



P. Brethren, pray that my 
sacrifice and yours may be 
acceptable to God the Fa- 
ther Almighty. 

R. May the Lord receive 
the sacrifice from thy hands, 
to the praise and glory of 
His name, and to our bene- 
fit, and that of His entire 
holy Church. 



AT. THE SECRET PRAYER OR PRAYERS. 

Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, and graciously 
accept this oblation, which we Thy servants present to 
Thee ; that as we offer it to the honor of Thy name, so 
it may be to us here a means of obtaining Thy grace, 
and hereafter eternal happiness. Through, etc. 

P. Per omnia saecula sse- P. World without end. 
culorum. 
R. Amen. 

P. Do minus vobiscum 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 
P. Sursum corda. 
R. Habemus ad Domi- 



R. 
P. 
R. 



num. 

P. Gratias agamus Domi- 
no Deo nostro. 

R. Dignum et justum est. 



Amen. 

The Lord be with you. 
And with thy spirit. 
P. Lift up your hearts. 
R. We have lifted them 
up to the Lord. 

P. Let us give thanks to 
our Lord God. 
R. It is meet and just. 




A 



4 ^ 



Canopy. 





Umbrellino. 



Amice. 



The Ordinary of the Mass, 



257 



THE PREFACE. 



Yere dignum et just am 
est, sequum et salutare, nos 
tibi semper et ubique gratias 
agere, Domine saucte, Pater 
omnipotens, geterne Deus ; 
per Christum Dominum nos- 
trum. Per quern majesta- 
tem tuam laudant angeli, 
adoraut dominatioaes, tre- 
munt potestates. Cceli 
coelorumque virtutes ac 
beata seraphim, soda exulta- 
tioue concelebrant. Cum 
quibus et nostras voces ut 
admitti jubeas deprecamur, 
supplici conf essione dicentes : 



Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, 
Dominus Deus Sabaoth. 
Pleni sunt coell et terra 
gloria tua. Hosanna in ex- 
celsis. Benedictus qui venit 
in nomine Domini. Ho- 
sanna in excelsis. 



It is truly meet and just, 
right, and available to salva- 
tion, that we should always, 
and in all places, give thanks 
to Thee, O holy Lord, 
Fatlier Almighty, eterual 
God. Through Christ our 
Lord : by Whom the angels 
praise Thy Majesty, the 
dominations adore it, the 
powers tremble before it, 
the heavenly virtues and 
blessed seraphim with com- 
mon jubilee glorify it. To- 
gether with whom we be- 
seech Thee, that we may be 
admitted to join our humble 
voices, saying : 

Holy, holy, holy, Lord 
God of Sabaoth. Heaven 
and earth are full of Thy 
glory. Hosanna in the high- 
est. Blessed is he that Com- 
eth in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. 



THE CANON OF THE MASS. 

We therefore humbly pray and beseech Thee, most 
merciful Father, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our 
Lord, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to accept and bless 
these gifts, these presents, these holy unspotted sacri- 
fices, which in the first place we offer Thee for Thy holy 
Catholic Church, to which vouchsafe to grant peace ; as 
also to preserve, unite, and govern it throughout the 
world : together with Thy servant N. our Pope, K our 
Bishop, as also all orthodox believers and professors of 
the Catholic and Apostolic Faith. 



258 The Ordinary of the Mass, 

AT THE COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. 

Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants, men and women, 
N. and K. (The Priest prays silently for those he 
wishes to pray for.) And of all here present, whose 
faith and devotion are known unto Thee, for whom we 
offer, or who offer np to Thee, this sacrifice of praise 
for themselves, their families, and friends : for the 
redemption of their souls, for the health and salvation 
they hope for, and for which they now pay their vows 
to Thee, the eternal, living, and true God. 

Communicating with, and honoring in the first place, 
the memory of the ever-glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of 
our Lord and God Jesus Christ ; as also of the blessed 
apostles and martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, 
John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, 
Simon and Thaddeus, Linus, Cletus, Clement, Xystus, 
Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and 
Paul, Cosmas and Damian, and of all Thy saints ; by 
whose merits and prayers grant that we may be always 
defended by the help of Thy protection. Through the 
same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Spreading his hands over the Oblation, he says : 

We therefore beseech Thee, O Lord, graciously to 
accept this oblation of our servitude, as also of Thy 
whole family; dispose our days in Thy peace, pre- 
serve us from eternal damnation, and rank us in thb 
number of Thine elect. Through Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

Which oblation do Thou, O God, vouchsafe in all 
respects to bless, approve, ratify, and accept ; that it 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 259 

may be made for us the body and blood of Thy most be- 
loved Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Qui pridie quam pateretur, accepit panem in sanctas 
ac venerabiles manus suas ; et elevatis oeulis in eoelum, 
ad te Deum, Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias 
agens, benedixit, fregit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens : 
Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes : Hoc est enim 
corpus meiun. 

Simili modo postquam coenatum est, accipiens et hunc 
praeclarum calicem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus 
suas ; item tibi gratias agens benedixit, deditque disci- 
pulis suis, dicens : Accipite, et bibite ex eo omnes : Hie 
est enim ealix sanguinis mei, novi et ceterni testa- 
menti ; mysterium fidei ; qui pro vobis, et pro multis 
effundetur in remissionem peccatorum. Haec quoties- 
cunque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis. 

AT THE ELEVATION. 

While the priest pronounces the words of consecration, do 
you contemplate in silence the wonders that pass before you. 
Your God, your Saviour, and your Judge descends on the altar ; 
hail His sacred presence by the most lively sentiments of re- 
spect, confidence, and love. 

O Victim of salvation ! Eternal King ! Incarnate 
Word ! sacrificed for me and all mankind ! Precious 
body of the Son of God ! Sacred flesh, torn with nails, 
pierced with a lance, and bleeding on a cross for us 
poor sinners ! Amazing goodness ! infinite love ! Oh 
let that tender love plead now in my behalf : let all my 
iniquities be here effaced, and my name written in 
the Book of Life. I believe in Thee ; I hope in Thee ; I 



260 The Ordinary of the Mass. 

love Thee. To Thee be honor, praise, glory, and bene- 
diction, forever and ever. Amen. 

O sacred blood, flowing from the wounds of Jesus 
Christ, and washing away the sins of the world ! cleanse, 
sanctify, and preserve my soul, that nothing may ever 
separate me from Thee. Behold, O eternal Father, Thy 
only-begotten Son, and look upon the face of Thy 
Christ, in Whom Thou art well pleased. Hear the voice 
of His blood crying out to Thee, not for vengeance, but 
for mercy and pardon. Accept this divine oblation, and 
through the infinite merits of all the suiferings that 
Jesus endured on the cross for our salvation, be pleased 
to look upon us, and upon all Thy people, with an eye 
of mercy. 

We most humbly beseech Thee, Almighty God, com- 
mand these things to be carried by the hands of Thy 
holy angels to Thy altar on high, in the sight of Thy 
divine Majesty, that as many as shall partake of the 
most sacred body and blood of Thy Son at this altar 
may be filled with every heavenly grace and blessing, 
through the same Christ Oar Lord. Amen. 

AT THE COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD. 

Be mindful also, O Lord, of Thy servants N. and N., 
who are gone before us with the sign of faith, and rest 
in the sleep of peace. 

Here particular mention is made of such of the dead 
as are to he prayed for. 

To these, O Lord, and to all that sleep in Christ, 
grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, 
and peace, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 



261 



Hei^e^ striTiing his breast, the Priest says : 

Also to us sinners, Thy servants, confiding in the 
multitude of Thy mercies, vouchsafe to grant some 
part and fellowship with Thy holy apostles and martyrs ; 
with John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, 
Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, 
Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia, and wath all 
Thy saints : into whose company we beseech Thee 
to admit us, not in consideration of our merits, but 
of Thy ow^n gratuitous pardon, through Christ our 
Lord. 

By Whom, Lord, Thou dost always create, sanctify, 
enliven, bless, and give us all these good things. By 
Him, and with Him, and in Him, is to Thee, God the 
Father Almighty, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all 
honor and glory. 



P. Per omniasgecula ssecu- 
lorum. 

R. Amen. 

Or emus. 

Prgeceptis salutaribus mo- 
niti, et divina institutione 
formati, audemus dicere: 

Pater noster, qui es incoelis, 
sanctiflcetur nomen tuum; 
adveniat regnum tuum; fiat 
voluntas tua sicut in coelo, et 
in terra. Panem nostrum 
quotidianum, da nobis hodie; 
etdimitte nobis debita nostra, 
sicut et nos dimittimus debi- 
toribus nostris. Et ue nos 
inducas in tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

P. Amen. 



P. Forever and ever. 

R. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

Being instructed by Thy 
saving precepts, and follow- 
ing Thy divine directions,, 
we presume to say: 

Our Father, Who art ia 
heaven : hallowed be Thy 
name : Thy kingdom come : 
Thy will be done on earth 
as it is in heaven. Give us 
this day our daily bread : and 
forgive us our trespasses, as 
we forgive them that trespass 
against us. And lead us not 
into temptation. 

R, But deliver iis from evil. 

P. Amen. 



262 The Ordinary of the Mass. 

Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evils, 
past, present, and to come: and by the intercession of 
the blessed and ever-glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of 
God, and of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and of 
Andrew, and of all the saints, mercifully grant peace in 
our days : that through the assistance of Thy mercy we 
may be always free from "sin, and secure from all disturb- 
ance, through the same Jesus Christ Thy Son, Our Lord, 
Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, 
God. 

P. Per omnia saecula ssecu- P. World without eud. 
lorum. 

B. Amen. R. Amen. 

P. Pax Domini sit semper P. May the peace of the 

vobiscum. Lord be always with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. i?. And with thy spirit. 

At his breaking and putting part of the Host into the 

chalice, say : 

May this mixture and consecration of the body and 
blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ be to us that receive it 
effectual to eternal life. Amen. 

Then bowing and striking his breast^ he says : 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- Lamb of God, Who takest 
cata mundi, miserere nobis, away the sins of the world, 

have mercy upon us. 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- Lamb of God, Who takest 
cata mundi, miserere nobis, away the sins of the world, 

have mercy upon us. 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- Lamb of God, Who takest 
cata mundi, dona nobis away the sins of the world, 
pacem. give us peace. 



Tlie Ordinary of the Mass. 263 

In Masses for the Dead, he says twice, Give them rest; 
and lastly, eternal rest. The following prayer is also 
omitted : 

Lord Jesus Christ, Who saidst to Thy apostles, My 
peace I leave you, regard not my sins, but the faith of 
Thy Church ; and grant her that peace and unity which 
is agreeable to Thy will, Who livest, etc. Amen. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who, ac- 
cording to the will of Thy Father, through the co-opera- 
tion of. the Holy Ghost, hast, by Thy death, given life to 
the world : deliver me by this Thy most sacred body and 
blood from all my iniquities and from all evils : make 
me always adhere to Thy commandments, and never 
suffer me to be separated from Thee: Who livest and 
reignest with God, the Father, in the unity of, etc. 
Amen. 

Let not the participation of Thy body, O Lord Jesus 
Christ, which I, though unworthy, presume to receive, 
turn to my judgment and condemnation : but through 
Thy mercy may it be a safeguard and remedy both of 
soul and body. Who with God the Father, in the unity 
of the Holy Gliost, livest and reignest one God, forever 
and ever. Amen. 

Taking the Host in his hands he says : 

I will take the bread of heaven and call upon the 
name of the Lord. 

Striking his breast, he repeats three times : 

Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under 
my roof: say but the word, and my soul shall be healed. 



264 The Ordinary of the Mass. 

On reoeiving the sacred JSpecies, he says : 

May the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my 
soul to life everlasting. Amen. 



TaMiig the chalice in his hands^ he says : 

"What return shall I make the Lord for all He has 
given to me ? I will take the chalice of salvation, and 
call upon the name of the Lord. Praising I ^ill call 
upon the Lord, and shall be saved from my enemies. 

Receiving the blood of Our Saviour, he says : 

May the blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my 
soul to everlasting life. Amen. 

During the Ablutions and Post Communion make a 
Spii'itual Communion, as follows: 

O my divine Saviour ! I fervently adore Thee in this 
sacred and venerable sacrament ; I love Thee with all 
the affections of my heart, and I hope with confidence 
in that infinite goodness which induces Thee to remain 
among us. Oh, that I could this moment enjoy the 
happiness of really communicating ! Oh, that I could 
this day receive that precious body which was once sac- 
rificed for my love, and that adorable blood which flowed 
from Thy sacred veins to wash away the sins of the 
world ! But, alas ! I am most unworthy of so great a 
favor. I do not deserve to receive Thee, God of all 
sanctity ! Yet I ardently desire to do so, and I humbly 
conjure Thee to accept this desire, and to give Thyself 
to me by the influence of Thy all-powerful grace. 
Come, O my God ! my only good ! come to me, for I 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 265 

now offer Thee my whole heart, most ardently desiring 
that it should belong to Thee for Whose love it was cre- 
ated, and Whose love can alone make it truly happy. I 
now consecrate and present to Thee all my thoughts, 
words, and actions, from this moment to the happy day 
of my next communion, in union with Thy infinite: 
merits, and as a preparation for that great happiness. 
O my God, I already look forward to it with joy, and I 
beg of Thee most earnestly to grant me such purity of 
heart, and such fervent dispositions in approaching Thy 
holy table, that each communion may produce in mj 
soul an increase of Thy fear and love, and strengthen 
me to perform the exalted duties of a true Christian, in 
whatever situation of life Thy providence shall hereafter 
place me. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. P. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. B, And with thy spirit. 

P. Ite missa est {vel P, Go, you are dismissed 

Benedicamus Domino). (or Let us bless the Lord). 
R, Deo gratias. jf?. Thanks be to God. 

In Masses for the Dead. 

P. Requiescant in pace. P. May they rest in peace. 

Ri Amen. R. Amen. 

Bowing before the Altar, the Priest says : 

Let the performance of my homage be pleasing to* 
Thee, O Holy Trinity : and grant that the sacrifice which 
I, though unworthy, have offered in presence of Thy 
Majesty, may be acceptable to Thee, and through Thy 
mercy be a propitiation for me and all those for whom; 
it has been offered. Through, etc. Amen. 



286 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 



Turning toward the people he gives them his blessing, 
saying : 

May Almighty God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 
bless you. Amen. 



P. Dominus vobiscum. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 
P. luitium sancti Evan- 
gelii secundum Joannem. 

B. Gloria tibi, Domine. 



P. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

P. The beginniDg of the 
Gospel according to St. 
John. 

R. Glory be to Thee, O 
Lord. 



THE LAST GOSPEL. 



In principio erat Yerbum, 
■et Yerbum erat apud Deum, 
et Deus erat Yerbum. Hoc 
erat in principio apud Deum. 
Omnia per ipsum facta suut : 
et sine ipso factum est nihil, 
quod factum est ; in ipso 
Yita erat, et vita erat lux 
homiuum : et lux in tene- 
bris lucet, et tenebrye eam 
non comprehenderunt. Fuit 
homo missus a Deo, cui no- 
men erat Joannes. Hie ve- 
nit in testimonium, ut testi- 
monium perhiberet de lu- 
mine, ut omnes crederent 
per ilium. Non erat ille lux, 
sed ut testimonium perhib- 
eret de lumine. Erat lux 
Yera, quae illuminat omnem 
homiuem venientem in hunc 
mundum. In mundo erat, 
et mundus per ipsum f actus 
est, et mundus eum non cog- 
novit. 'In propria venit, et 
sui eum non receperunt ; 



In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was 
God. The same was in the 
beginning with God. All 
things were made by Him, 
and without Him was made 
nothing that was made. In 
Him was life, and the life 
was the light of men : and 
the light shine th in darkness, 
and the darkness did not 
comprehend it. There was 
a man sent from God whose 
name was John. This man 
came for a witness, to give 
testimony of the light, that 
all men might believe 
through him. He was not 
the light, but was to give 
testimon}^ of the light. That 
was the true light which en- 
lighteneth every man that 
Cometh into this world. He 
was in the world, and the 
world was made by Him, 



The Ordinary of the Mass. 



267 



quotquot aiitem receperunt 
eum, dedit eis potestatem 
filios Dei fieri, his, qui 
credunt iu nomiue ejus : qui 
uon ex sanguiuibus, neque 
ex voluutate carnis, neque 
ex voluutate viri, sed ex Deo 
nati sunt. Et Verbum caro 
factum est, et habitavit in 
nobis ; et vidimus gloriam 
ejus, gloriam quasi unigen- 
iti a Patre, plenum gratiae, 
•et veritatis. 



i?. Deo gratias. 



and the world knew Him 
not. He came into His own, 
and His own received Him 
not. But as many as re- 
ceived Him, He gave them 
power to be made the sous 
of God, to them that believe 
in His name : who are born 
not of blood, nor of the will 
of the flesh, nor of the will 
of man, but of God. And 
the Word was made flesh, and 
dwelt among us : and we 
saw His glory, the glory as 
it were of the only-begotten 
of the Father, full of grace 
and truth. 
R. Thanks be to God. 



YESPEES FOR SUNDAYS. 



PATER noster, etc. Ave 
Maria, etc. 
P. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Do mine, ad adjuvaDd- 
um me festina. 

F. Gloria Patri, et Filio, 
* et Spiritui Sancto. 

R. Sicut erat in principio, 
et nunc, et semper, * et in 
ssecula saiculorura. Amen. 
Alleluia. 

In Lent Laus tibi, Do- 
mine, Rex aeternse glorias. 



OUR Father, etc. Hail 
Mary, etc. 

P. Incline unto my aid, O 
God. 

R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost. 

R. As it was in the begin- 
ning, is now, and ever shall 
be, world without end. 
Amen. Alleluia. 

In Lent. Praise be to 
Thee, O King of eternal 
glory. 



PSALM 109. 



Dixit Dominus Domino 
meo : * sede a dextris meis. 



inimicos 
pedum 



Donee ponam 
tuos * scabellum 
tuorum. 

Yirgam virtutis tuae emit- 
tet Dominus -ex Sion ; * do- 
miuare in medio inimicorum 
tuorum. 

Tecum principium in die 
virtutis tuae, in splendoribus 



The Lord said to my 
Lord : Sit Thou at My right 
hand, 

Until I make Thy enemies 
Thy footstool. 

The Lord will send forth 
the sceptre of Thy power 
out of Sion : rule Thou in 
the midst of Tby enemies. 

With Thee is the princi- 
pality, in the day of Thy 



Vespers for Sundays, 



269 



sanctorum : * ex utero ante 
lueiferum genui te. 



Juravit Dominus, et non 
poenitebit eum : * tu es sa- 
cerdos in seternum, secun- 
dum ordinem Melchisedech. 

Dominus a dextris tuis : * 
confregit in die irae suae 
reges. 

Judicabit in nationibus, 
implebit ruinas: * conqua- 
sabit capita in terra multo- 
rum. 

De torrente in via bibet : * 
propterea exaltabit caput. 



Gloria Patri, etc. 



strength, in tiie brightness 
of the saints : from the 
womb before the day-star 
I begot Thee. 

The Lord hath sworn, and 
He will not repent : Thou 
art a priest forever accord- 
ing to the order of Melchise- 
dech. 

The Lord at Thy right 
hand hath broken kings in 
the day of His wrath. 

He shall judge among na- 
tions, He shall fill ruins; 
He shall crush the heads in 
the land of many. 

He shall drink of the tor- 
rent in the way: therefore 
shall He lift up the head. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



P8ALM 110. 



Confitebor tibi Domine in 
toto corde meo: * in concilio 
justorum, et congregatione. 

Magna opera Domini: * 
ex'quisita in omnes voluntates 
ejus, 

Confessio et magnificentia 
opus ejus:'*et justitia ejus 
manet in sseculum sseculi. 

Memoriamf ecit mi rabil i um 
suorum, misericors et mise- 
rator Dominus : * escam de- 
dit timentibus se. 



Memor erit 



m 



sseculum 
testamenti sui: * virtutem 
operum suorum annunciabit 
pep do suo, 



I will praise Thee, Lord, 
with my whole heart: in the 
council of the just, and in the 
congregation. 

Great are the works of the 
Lord, sought out according 
to all His wills. 

His work is praise and 
magnificence, and His justice 
continueth forever and ever. 

He hath made a remeni- 
brance of His wonderful 
works, being a merciful and 
gracious Lord : Hehath given 
food to them that fear Him. 

He will be mindful forever 
of His covenant: He will 
show forth to His people the 
power of His works, 



270 



Vespers for Sundays, 



Ut det illis haereditatem 
Gentium; * opera manuum 
ejus Veritas et judicium. 

Fidelia omuia mandata 
ejus, confirmata in sseculum 
saeculi, * facta in veritate et 
gequitate. 

Redemptionemmisit popu- 
lo suo ; * mandavit in seter- 
num testamentuni suum. 

Sanctum et terribile nomen 
ejus : * initium sapientise 
timor Domini. 

Intellectus bonus omnibus 
facientibus eum: * laudatio 
ejusmanet insseculumsseculi. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



That He may give them- 
the inheritance of the Gen- 
tiles : the works of Hishandsr 
are truth and judgment. 

AH His commandments are 
faithful, confirmed forever 
and ever, made in truth and 
equity. 

He hath sent redemption 
to His people: He hath com- 
manded His covenant for- 
ever. 

Holy and terrible is His 
name: the fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of v^'isdom. 

A good understanding to 
all {hat do it: His praise con- 
tinueth forever and ever. 

Glory, etc. 



PSALM 111. 



Beatus vir, qui timet Do- 
minum: * in mandatis ejus 
volet nimis. 

Potens in terra erit semen 
ejus: * generatio rectorum 
benedicetur. 

Gloria et divitise in domo 
ejus: * et justitia ejus manet 
in sseculum sseculi. 

Exortum est in tenebris 
lumen rectis: ^ misericors, 
et miserator, et Justus. 

Jucundus homo qui mise- 
retur et commodat, disponet 
sermones suos in judicio: * 
quia in geternum non com- 
movebitur. 



Blessed is the man that 
feareth the Lord : he shall 
delight exceedingly in His 
commandments. 

His seed shall be mighty 
upon earth: the generation 
of the righteous shall be 
blessed. 

Glory and vv^ealth shall be 
in his house: and his justice 
remaineth forever and ever. 

To the righteous a light 
has sprung up in darkness: 
he is merciful, and compas- 
sionate, and just. 

Acceptable is the man that 
shovveth mercy and lendeth; 
he shall order hisv^ords with 
judgment : because he shall 
not be moved forever. 



Vespers for Sundays. 



271 



In memoria oeterna erit 
Justus : ab auditioue mala 
non timebit. 

Paraturn cor ejus sperare 
in Domino, confirmatum est 
cor ejus: * non commove- 
bitur, donee despiciat inimi- 
cos suos. 

Dispersit, dedit pauperi- 
bus : justitia ejus manet in 
sseculum sseculi : * cornu 
ejus exaltabitur in gloria. 

Peccator videbit, et iras- 
cetur, deutibus suis fremet 
et tabescet : * desiderium 
peccatorum peribit. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



The just shall be in ever- 
lasting remembi-ance : he 
shall not fear the evil hear- 
ing. 

His heart is ready to hope 
in the Lord, his heart is 
strengthened : he shall not 
be moved until he look over 
his enemies. 

He hath distributed, he 
hath given lo the poor : his 
justice remaineth forever 
and ever, his horn shall be 
exalted in glory. 

The wicked shall see, and 
shall be angry ; he shall 
gnash with his teeth and pine 
away : the desire of the 
wicked shall perish. 

Glory, etc. 



PSALM 112. 



Laudate pueri Domiuum:^ 
laudate nomen Domini. 

Sit nomen Domini bene- 
dictum, * ex hoc nunc et 
usque in sseculum. 

A soils ortu usque ad oc-' 
casum,^ laudabile nomen 
Domini. 

Excelsus super omnes gen- 
tes Dominus,*et super coelos 
gloria ejus. 

Quis sicut Dominus Deus 
noster, qui in altis habitat,* 
et humilia respicit in coelo-et 
in terra ? 

Suscitans a terra inopem,* 



Praise the Lord, ye chil- 
dren : praise ye the name of 
the Lord. 

Blessed be the name of the 
Lord, from henceforth, now 
and forever. 

From the rising of the sun 
unto the going down of the 
same, the name of the Lord 
is worthy of praise. 

The Lord is high above 
all nations, and His glory 
above the heavens. 

Who is as the Lord our 
God, Who dwelleth on high,, 
and looketh down on the 
low things in heaven and in 
earth ? 

Raising up the needy from 



272 



Vespers for Sundays. 



■et de stercore erigeus pau- 
perem ; 

Ut collocet eum cum pria- 
c i p i b u s, cum principibus 
populi sui. 

Qui habitare facit sterilem 
iu domo,* matrem filiorum 
Isetantem. 



Gloria Patri, etc. 



the earth, aud liftiDg up the 
poor out of the duiig-hill ; 

That He may place him 
with princes, with the 
princes of His people. 

Who maketh a barren 
woman to dwell in a house, 
the joyful mother of chil- 
dren. 

Glory, etc. 



PSALM 113. 



In exitu Israel de ^gyp- 
to * domus Jacob de populo 
barbaro, 

Facta est Judsea sanctifica- 
tio ejus,* Israel potest as ejus. 

Mare vidit, et f ugit ; "^ 
Jordanis conversus est re- 
trorsum. 

Montes exultaverunt ut 
arietes ; * et colles sicut agni 
ovium. 

Quid est tibi, mare, quod 
f ugisti ? ^ et tu Jordanis, quia 
conversus es retrorsum ? 

Montes exultastis sicut 
arietes ? * et colles sicut agni 
ovium ? 

A facie Domini mota est 
terra,* a facie Dei Jacob. 



Qui convertit petram in 
stagna aquarum,* et rupem 
in fontes aquarum. 

Non nobis, Domine, non 
nobis ; * sed nomini tuo da 
gloriam. 



When Israel went out of 
Egypt, the house of Jacob, 
from a barbarous people : 

Judea was made his sanc- 
tuary, Israel his dominion. 

The sea saw and fled ; 
Jordan was turned back. 

The mountains skipped 
like rams : and the hills like 
the lambs of the flock. 

What aileth thee, O thou 
sea, that thou didst flee? and 
thou, O Jordan, that thou 
wast turned back ? 

Ye mountains, that ye 
skipped like rams ; and ye 
hills like the lambs of the 
flock? 

At. the presence of the 
Lord the earth was moved, 
at the presence of the God of 
Jacob. 

Who turned the rock into 
pools of water, and the stony 
hills into fountains of 
waters. 

Not unto us, O Lord, not 
unto us, but to Thy name 
give glory. 



Vespers for Sundays, 



273 



Super misericordia tua, et 
veritate tua ; * ne quaudo 
dicant Gentes : ubi est Deus 
eorum ? 

Deus autem noster in 
coelo ; ^ omnia qusecuinque 
voluit fecit. 

Simulacra Gentium argen- 
tum et aurum,* opera ma- 
nuum homiuum. 

Os habent, et non loquen- 
tur ; * oculos habent, et non 
videbunt. 

Aures habent, et non audi- 
ent ; * nares habent, et non 
odorabunt. 

Manus habent, et non pal- 
pabunt ; pedes habent, et 
non ambulabunt ; * non cla- 
mabunt in gutture suo. 

Similes illis fiant qui faci- 
unt ea ; * et omnes qui confi- 
dunt in eis. 

Domus Israel speravit in 
Domino ; ^ adjutor eorum et 
protector eorum est. 

Domus Aaron speravit in 
Domino ; * adjutor eorum et 
protector eorum est. 

Qui timent Dominum, spe- 
raverunt in Domino ; adjutor 
eorum et protector eorum est. 

Dominus memor fuit nos- 
tri : * et benedixit nobis. 

Benedixit domui Israel ; * 
. benedixit domui Aaron. 

Benedixit omnibus qui ti- 



For Thy mercy and for 
Thy truth's sake ; lest the 
Gentiles should say, Where 
is their God ? 

But our God is in heaven ; 
He hath done all things 
whatsoever He would. 

The idols of the Gentiles 
are silver and gold, the work 
of the hands of men. 

They have mouths and 
speak not ; they have eyes 
and see not. 

They have ears and hear 
not ; they have noses and 
smell not. 

They have hands and feel 
not ; they have feet and walk 
not, neither shall they cry 
out through their throats. 

Let them that make them 
become like unto them ; and 
such as trust in them. 

The house of Israel hath 
hoped in the Lord ; He is 
their helper and their protec- 
tor. 

The house of Aaron hath 
hoped in the Lord ; Hs is 
their helper and their pro- 
tector. 

They that fear the Lord 
have hoped in the Lord ; He 
is their helper and their pro- 
tector. 

The Lord hath been mind- 
ful of us ; and hath blessed 
us. 

He hath blessed the house 
of Israel ; He hath blessed 
the house of Aaron. 

He hath blessed all that 



274 



Vespers for Sundays, 



ment Dominum, * pusillis 
cum majoribiis. 

Adjiciat Dominus super 
vos ; * super vos, et super 
filios vestros. 

Benedicti vos a Domino ; * 
qui fecit coelum et terram. 

Coelum cceli Domino;^ 
terram autem dedit filiis 
hominum. 

Non mortui laudabunt te, 
Domine : * ueque omnes 
qui descendunt in infer- 
num. 

Sed DOS qui vivimus, be- 
nedicimas Domino ; ^ ex 
hoc nunc et usque in sse- 
culum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



fear the Lord, both little and 
great. 

May the Lord add bless- 
ings upon you and upon 
your children. 

Blessed be you of the 
Lord, Who made heaven 
and earth. 

The heaven of heavens is 
the Lord's : but the earth 
He hath given to the chil- 
dren of men. 

The dead shall not praise 
Thee, O Lord : nor any of 
them that go down to hell. 

But we that live bless the 
Lord, from this time now 
and forever. 

Glory, etCo 



Instead of 113, Psalm 116 is often sung. 



PSALM 116. 



Laudate Dominum omnes 
Gentes ; * 1 a u d a t e eum 
omnes populi. 

Quoniam confirmata est 



Praise the Lord, all ye 
nations ; praise Him, all jq 
people.. 

Because His mercy is con- 



super nos misericordia ejus ; firmed upon us, and the 

* et Veritas Domini manet in truth of the Lord remaineth 

aeternum. forever. 

Gloria Patri, etc. Glory, etc. 



THE CAPITULUM. 



Bened ictus Deus et Pater 
Domini nostri Jesu Christi, 
Pater misericordiarum, et 
Deus totius consolation is. 



Blessed be the God and 
Father of Our Lord Jesus. 
Christ, the Father of mer- 
cies, and the God of all com- 



fnrn^ 



Vespers for Sundays. 



275 



qui consolatur nos in omni fort, Who comforteth us in 
tribulatioue nostra. all our tribulations. 

B. Deo gratias ! B. Thanks be to God ! 

Here is usually sung a hymn appropriate to the season 
of the year. 



HYMN FOR SUNDAY. 

Lucis Creator optime, 
Lucem dierum proferens, 
Primordiis lucis novae, 
Mundi parens origineni. 
Qui mane junctum vesper!, 
Diem vocari prsecipis ; 
Illabitur tetrum chaos, 
Audi preces cum fletilXiS. 
Ne mens gravata crimine, 
Yitoe sit exul munere ; 
Dum nil perenne cogitat, 
Seseque culpis illigat. 
Coeleste pulset ostium : 
Yitale tollat praemium. 
Yitemus omue noxium : 
Purgemus omne pessimum. 
Prgesta, Pater piissime, 



O great Creator of the 

light. 
Who, from the darksome 

womb of night, 
Broughtst forth new light at 

nature's birth, 
To shine upon the face of 
. earth. 

Who, by the morn and even- 
ing ray, 
Hast measured time and 

called it day. 
Whilst sable night involves 

the spheres, 
Youchsafe to hear our pray- 

ers and tears. 
Lest our frail mind, with sin 

defiled. 
From gifts of life should he 

exiled, 
Whilst on no heavenly thing- 

she thinks, 
But twines herself in Satan's^ 

links. 
Oh ! may she soar to heaven 

above. 
The happy seat of light and 

love ; 
Meantime all sinful actions 

shun, 
And purge the foul ones she 

hath done. 
This prayer, most gracious 

Father, hear, 



276 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Patrique compar unice, 
€um Spiritu Paraclito, 



Thy equal Son incline His 

ear, 
Wbo, with the Holy Ghost 
and Thee, 

Regnans per omne sseculum. Doth live and reign eternally. 
Amen. Amen. 



THE MAGNIFICAT, 

or tlie Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 



Magnificat * anima mea 
Dominum. 

Et exultavit spiritus mens * 
in Deo salutari meo. 

Quia respexit humilitatem 
ancillse suae; * ecce enim ex 
hoc beatam me dicent omnes 
geuerationes. 

Quia fecit mihi magna qui 
potens est ; * et sanctum no- 
men ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a 
progenie in progenies, 
"^ timentibus eura. 

Fecit potentiam in brachio 
suo ; * dispersit superbos 
mente cordis sui. 

Deposuit potentesde sede, 

* et exaltavit humiles. 

Esurienles implevit bonis ; 

* et divites dimisit inanes. 



Suscepit Israel puerum 
suum, ^ recordatus miseri- 
cordise suae. 

Sicut locutus est ad patres 



My soul doth magnify the 
Lord : 

And my spirit hath re- 
joiced in God my Saviour. 

Because He hath regarded 
the humility of His hand- 
maid : for* behold from 
henceforth all generations 
shall call me blessed. 

For He that is mighty hath 
done great things to m'e ; and 
holy is His name. 

And His mercy is from 
generation to generation, to 
them that fear Him. 

He hath showed might in 
His arm ; He bath scattered 
the proud in the conceit of 
their heart. 

He hath put down the 
mighty from their seat, and 
hath exalted the humble. 

He hath filled the hungry 
with good things ; and the 
rich He hath sent away 
empty. 

He hath received Israel 
His servant, being mindful 
of His mercy. 

As He spoke to our fathers. 



nTTm 



Vespers for Sundays, 



277 



nostros, * Abraham, et semi- 
ni ejus in saeciila. 
Gloria Patri, etc. 



to Abraham, and to his seed 
forever. 
Glory, etc. 



For the Magnificat Pope Leo XIII. granted an indulgence of 
100 days, to be gained by reciting it devoutly and with contrite 
heart, once a day. (September 20, 1879.) 

Then follows the Prayer ^ which is different every day. 



P, Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Benedicamus Domino. 

R, Deo gratias ! 

P. Fidelium animse, per 
misericordiam Dei, requies- 
cant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



P. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

P. Let us bless the Lord. 

R, Thanks be to God! 

P. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mercy 
of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



Then is sung one of the following Anthems, according to 
the time. 



FROM ADVENT TO THE PURIFICATION. 



Alma Redemptoris mater, 
quae pervia cceli, 

Porta manes, et Stella 
maris, succurre cadenti, 

Surgere qui curat populo, 
tu quse genuisti, 

Natura mirante, tuum 
sanctum genitorem, 

Virgo prius ac posterius : 
Gabriel is ab ore, 

Sumens illud ave, 'pecca- 
torum miserere. 



In 



Mother of Jesus, heaven*a 
open gate. 

Star of the sea, support; 
the fallen state 

Of mortals; thou whose 
womb thy Maker bore, 

And yet, strange thing, a. 
virgin as before: 

Who didst from Gabriel's 
hail this news receive, 

Repenting sinners by thy 
prayers relieve. 



Advent, 

P. Angelus Domini nun- 
tiavit Marise ; 

R, Et concepit de Spiritu 
sancto. 



P. The angel of the Lord 
declared unto Mary ; 

R. And she conceived of 
the Holy Ghost. 



278 



Vespers for Sundays, 



P. Oremus. 

Gratiam tuam qusesumus, 
Domine, mentibus Dostris 
infunde ; iit qui, augelo 
nuntiante, Christi filii tui 
incarnationem cognovimus, 
per passionem ejus et cru- 
cem, ad resurrectiouis glo- 
riam perducamur. Per 
eundem Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. 



R, Amen. 



P. Let us pray. 

Pour forth, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, Thy grace 
into our hearts, that we, to 
whom the Incarnation of 
Christ, Thy Son, has been 
made known by the mes- 
sage of an angel, may, by 
His passion and cross, be 
brought to the glory of His 
resurrection. Through the 
same Christ our Lord. 

R, Amen. 



After Advent. 



P. Post partum virgo in- 
violata permansisti. 

R. Dei genitrix, intercede 
^ro nobis. ^ 

P. Oremus. 

Deus, qui salutis seternse 
l3 e a t 9e MarisB virginitate 
foecunda humano g e n e r i 
jprsemia prsestitisti ; tribue 
quaesumus, ut ipsam pro no- 
bis intercedere sentlamus, 
perquam meruimiis Aucto- 
rem vitge suscipere Domi- 
num nostrum Jesum Christ- 
; um Filium tuum. 

R. Amen. 



P. After childbirth thou 
didst remain a pure virgin. 

R. Mother of God, inter- 
cede for us. 

P. Let us pray. 

O God, Who, by the fruit- 
ful virginity of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, hast given to 
mankind the rewards of eter- 
nal salvation : grant, we be- 
seech Thee, that w^e may be 
sensible of the benefits of 
her intercession, by whom 
we have received the Author 
of life, Our Lord Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son. 

R. Amen. 



FROM THE PURIFICATION tiLL EASTER. 

Ave, Regina coelorum ! Hail, Mary, queen of heaven- 

ly spheres ! 

Ave, Domina angelorum ! Hail, whom the angelic liost 

reveres ! 

Salve, radix ! salve, porta ! Hail, fruitful root ! hail, 

sacred gate ! 



Vespers for Sundays. 



279 



Ex qua muudo lux est orta. 
Gaude, Virgo gloriosa, 
Super omnes speciosa, 
Yale, O valde decora, 
Et pro nobis Christum exora. 

P. Dignare me laudare te, 
Virgo sacrata. 

B. Da mihi virtutem con- 
ti'a hostes tuos. 

P. Oremus. 

Concede misericors Deus, 
fragilitati nostrse prsesidium; 
Tit qui sanctge Dei geuitricis 
memoriam agimus, iuterces- 
sionis ejus auxilio a nostris 
iciquitatibus resurgamus. 
Per eundem Christum Do- 
minum nostrum. 

B. Amen. 



Whence the world's light 

derives its date. 
O glorious Maid, with beauty 

blest, 
M^y joys eternal fill thy 

breast ! 
Thus, crowned with beauty 

and with joy, 
Thy prayers with Christ for 

us employ. 

P. Vouchsafe, O sacred 
Virgin, to accept my praises. 

B, Give me power against 
thy enemies. 

P. Let us pray. 

Grant us, O merciful God, 
strength against all our weak- 
ness ; that we, who celebrate 
the memory of the holy 
Mother of God, may, by the 
help of her intercession, rise 
again from our iniquities. 
Through the same Christ our 
Lord. 

B. Amen. 



FROM EASTER TILL TRINITY SUNDAY. 



Eegioa cceli, loetare, Alleluia. 

Quia quem meruisti portare, 
Alleluia. 

Resurrexit, sicut dixit, Al- 
leluia. 

Ora pro nobis Deum, Alle- 
luia. 
P. Gaude et Isetare, Virgo 

Maria, Alleluia. 
B. Quia surrexit Dominus 

vere, Alleluia. 
P. Oremus. 
Deus qui, per resurrect i- 



Queen of heaven, rejoice. 

Alleluia. 
For He Whom thou didst 

deserve to bear, Alleluia. 
Is risen again, as He said, 

Alleluia. 
Pray for us to God, Alleluia. 

P. Rejoice and be glad, O 
Virgin Mary, Alleluia. 

B. Because Our Lord is 
truly risen. Alleluia. 

P. Let us pray. 

O God, Who, by the res- 



280 



Vespers for Sundays. 



onem Filn tui, Domini nos- 
tri Jesu Cliristi, muudum 
loetificare dignatus es, praesta, 
qugesumus, ut per ejus geni- 
tricem Virgin em Mariam 
perpetuse capiamus gaudia 
vitse. Per eundem Christum 
Dominum nostrum. 

E. Amen. 



urrection of Thy Son, Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, hast been 
pleased to fill the world with 
joy: grant, we beseech Thee, 
that, by the Virgin Mary, 
His Mother, we may receive 
the joys of eternal life. 
Through the same Christ 
our Lord. 
R. Amen. 



FROM TRINITY SUNDAY TILL ADVENT. 



Salve, Regina, mater mi- 
sericordise, vita, dulcedo, et 
spes nostra salve. 

Ad te clamamus, exules 
filii Evse. Ad te suspiramus, 
gementes et flentes in hac 
lacrymarum valle. 

Eia ergo, advocata nostra, 
illos tuos misericordes oculos 
ad nos converte. 

Et Jesum bene d 1 c t u m 
fructum ventris tui nobis 
post hoc exilium ostende. 

O Clemens, O pia, O dulcis 
Virgo Maria! 



Hail to the Queen who 

reigns above, 
Mother of clemency and 

love! 
Hail, thou our hope, life, 

sweetness! We, 
Eve's banished children, cry 

to thee. 
We, from this wretched vale 

of tears, 
Send sighs and groans unto 

thy ears; 
Oh then, sweet advocate, be- 
stow 
A pitying look on lis below! 
After this exile let us see 
Our blessed Jesus, born of 

tbee. 
O merciful, O pious Maid, 
O gracious Mary, lend thy 

aid! 



P. Ora pro 
Dei Genitrix! 

R, Ut digni efSciamur pro- 
missionibus Christi. 

P. Oremus. 

Omuipotens. 



nobis, sancta P. Pray for us, O holy 
Mother of God! 

R. That we may be made 
worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

P. Let us pray, 
sempi t e r n e Almighty and eternal God , 



Vespers for Sundays. 



281 



Deus, qui gloriosge Virgin is 
Matris Mariae' corpus et aui- 
niaui, ut dignum Filii tui lia- 
bitaculum effici mereretur, 
Spiritu Siincto cooperante, 
prseparasti ; da, ut cujus 
commemoratione laet a m u r 
ejus pia intercessione ab iu- 
stantibus malis, et a morte 
perpetua liberemur. Per 
eundem Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. 

B. Amen. 

P. Divinum* auxilium 
maneat semper nobiscum. 
R, Amen. 



Who, by the cooperation of 
the Holy Ghost, didst pre- 
pare the body and the soul 
of the glorious Virgin Mother 
Mary, that she might become 
a worthy habitation for Thy 
Son: grant that, as with joy 
we celebrate her memory, so, 
by her pious intercession, we 
may be delivered from pres- 
ent evils and eternal death. 
Through the same Christ 
our Lord. 

R. Amen. 

P. May the divine assist- 
ance always remain with us. 

R. Amen. 



BENEDICTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



O SALUTARIS. 

/^ SALUTARIS Hostia ! 
Quae cceli pandis ostium : 
Bella premunt hostilia : 
Da robur, fer auxilium. 
Uni trinoque Domino, 
Sit sempiterna gloria ; . 
Qui vitam sine termino, 
NDbis donet in patria. 



O SAVING Host, that 
heaven's 2'ate 



Laid'st open at so dear a 

rate : • 

Intestine wars invade our 

breast ; 
Be Thou our strength, sup- 
port, and rest. 
To God the Father, and the 

Son, 
And Holy Spirit, three in 

one, 
Be endless praise : may He, 

above, 
With life eternal crown our 

love. 



TANTUM ERGO. 

Tantum ergo sacramentum, To this mysterious table 

now 

Yeneremur cernui, Our knees, our hearts, and 

sense we bow ; 

Et antiquum documentum Let ancient rites resign their 

place 

Novo cedat ritui : To nobler elements of grace, 

Prsestet fides supplementum And faith for all defects 

supply, 

Sensuum defectui. • While sense is lost in mys- 

tery. 

282 



mm 



Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, 



283 



Genitori, Genitoque 

Laus et jubilatio, 

Salus, honor, virtus, quoque 

Sit et beDedictio ; 

Procedenti ab utroque 
Compar sit laudatio. Amen. 

P. Panem de coelo prse- 
stitisti eis. 

R. Omne delectamentum 
in se habentem. 

Or emus. 

Deus qui nobis sub Sacra- 
mento mirabili passionis tuse 
memoriam reliquisti, tri- 
bue, qusesumus, ita uos cor- 
poris et sanguinis tui sacra 
mysteria venerari,ut redemp- 
tionis tuae fructum in nobis 
jugiter sentiamus. Qui vivis 
€t regnas Deus in ssecula 
sssculorum. Amen. 



To God the Father, born of 

none, 
To Christ, His co-eternal Son, 
And Holy Ghost, Whose 

equal rays 
From both proceed, one 

equal praise, 
One honor, jubilee, and fame. 
Forever bless His glorious 

name. Amen. 

P. Thou hast given them 
bread from heaven. 

R. Replenished with all 
sweetness and delight. 

Lei us Pray. 

O God, Who hast left us 
in this wonderful sacrament, 
a perpetual memorial of Thy 
passion, grant us, we be- 
seech Thee, so to reverence 
the sacred mysteries of Thy 
body and blood that we may 
continually find in our souls 
the fruit of Thy redemption, 
Who livest and reignest, 
etc. 



When the priest gives the benediction with the Blessed Sac- 
rament, bow down, and profoundly adore your Saviour there 
present. Give Him thanks for all His mercies; offer your whole 
self to Him, to be His for ever ; and earnestly beg His blessing 
upon you and yours, and upon His whole Church. 



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Means of Grace, The. A Complete Exposition of the Seven 
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